SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles Monday, one of which may have experienced an abnormal flight, according to South Korea’s military. This comes after North Korea’s recent pledge to respond aggressively to a new military exercise involving the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missiles were launched from southeastern North Korea, with the first missile flying 600 kilometers and the second 120 kilometers. Although the landing locations were not disclosed, it was noted that the second missile’s flight distance was too short to reach North Korea’s typical eastern waters.
South Korean media sources suggested that the second missile likely crashed inland in North Korea, while the first missile reportedly landed in the waters near Chongjin in the east. The launches were condemned by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff as provocative actions that threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula.
These missile tests occurred shortly after South Korea, the U.S., and Japan concluded a trilateral exercise aimed at strengthening their security partnership in response to North Korea’s nuclear threats and regional tensions with China. The drill, known as “Freedom Edge,” focused on enhancing joint ballistic-missile defense and other military capabilities through air and naval exercises.
North Korea strongly criticized the trilateral drill, equating the U.S.-South Korea-Japan partnership to an Asian NATO and accusing the parties of destabilizing the security environment in the region. The North Korean Foreign Ministry vowed to defend its sovereignty and regional peace through “offensive and overwhelming countermeasures.”
This recent launch marked North Korea’s first weapons test in five days, following a failed multiwarhead missile launch last week. The country has also engaged in provocative actions like sending balloons with propaganda toward South Korea and signing a defense agreement with Russia, raising concerns about escalating tensions in the region.
Parallel to these developments, North Korea convened a significant ruling party meeting to discuss enhancing their socialist system. Observers are closely monitoring the outcomes of the meeting, highlighting the ongoing complexities and challenges in the Korean Peninsula.