(Seoul) North Korea has launched a “suspicious ballistic missile” into the sea, the South Korean military said on Tuesday, within a week of Pyongyang claiming to have tested a hypersonic missile.
The missile was fired during a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council last week in connection with a test described as a Pyongyang hypersonic missile.
The bomber struck shortly after 7.27am (22.27 GMT, Monday) off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to a statement issued by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has confirmed that a “ballistic missile” was launched by North Korea.
Hours before the shooting, six countries, including the United States and Japan, called for a halt to North Korea’s “instability operations” ahead of a closed UN Security Council meeting on the issue. Hypersonic missile.
France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Albania have all joined in the call to “avoid further destabilizing action.” […] And engage in constructive dialogue toward our common goal of complete nuclear disarmament.
“It is very sad that North Korea continues to launch missiles,” Kishida told reporters.
According to experts, Pyongyang may have deliberately opened fire on the UN meeting.
“The launch has political and military motives,” Shin Beam-sul, a researcher at Korea’s National Strategic Research Institute, told AFP.
“North Korea is continuing its tests to diversify its nuclear weapons, but it plans to open fire on the day of the UN Security Council meeting to increase its political influence,” he added.
Military reinforcement
According to Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University for Women in Seoul, the frequency of the test indicates that Pyongyang could begin before the Beijing Olympics next month.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned North Korea from participating in the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021 due to an epidemic.
Since Kim Jong-un came to power ten years ago, Pyongyang has made rapid advances in military technology at the expense of international sanctions.
Despite the worsening economic situation caused by the epidemic, Mr. Kim promised to continue strengthening his military arsenal in December.
In 2021, North Korea, which has nuclear weapons, claims to have successfully tested a new type of surface-to-air surface-to-surface missile (SLBM), a long-range cruise missile, a train-launched weapon and what he described. As a hypersonic warship.
South Korea has questioned Pyongyang’s ability to launch hypersonic missiles, saying last week’s firing was not a big improvement over previous ballistic missiles.
Pyongyang is due to refuse to respond to US calls for a hearing on Tuesday.
Following the failure of talks between Kim Jong-un and then US President Donald Trump in 2019, dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington has stalled.
Mr. The government of Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, has repeatedly met with North Korean ambassadors and expressed its intention to denuclearize.
But Pyongyang turned down the offer, accusing the United States of pursuing “hostile” policies.
North Korea has been subject to several rounds of international sanctions for its banned weapons programs.
Tight border closures ordered to fight the corona virus outbreak have increased pressure on the already struggling economy.
