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North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Saturday, the South Korean military said. It is the fourth launch in a week as Pyongyang continues its provocative streak on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area of Pyongyang between 6:45 a.m. and 7:03 a.m. local time, Yonhap News Agency. report.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense said the missile flew about 350 to 400 kilometers (217 to 249 miles) at an altitude of 60 kilometers (37 miles) before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
State Minister of Defense Toshiro Ino told reporters that Japan had protested North Korea’s missile test through the Japanese embassy in Beijing, Kyodo News. report.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the launch did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies but highlighted the “destabilizing effects” of North Korea’s illegal ballistic missile program.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it was “aware of the two ballistic missile launches and is in close consultation with allies and partners.” statement. “U.S. commitment to defense of South Korea and Japan remains impregnable.”
Visit Kamala Harris
It was the fourth missile launch by North Korea this week, following launches on Sept. 25, Sept. 28 and Sept. 29, in a clear defiance of Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to South Korea this week. ing.
Harris also visited the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, reaffirming America’s “ironproof” commitment to defending allies in the region. North Korea launched two ballistic missiles hours after Harris left South Korea on Thursday.
North Korea’s latest launch came after the United States, South Korea and Japan launched their first trilateral anti-submarine exercise in five years near the Korean Peninsula on Friday.
The USS Ronald Reagan, Japan’s Asahi-class destroyer, and South Korea’s King Munmu took part in the exercise.
South Korean Capt. Cho Choon-ho said the exercise was designed to strengthen its combined capabilities against “enemy submarine threats.”
“We will continue these realistic high-intensity exercises so that we can respond decisively and overwhelmingly to any form of provocation,” Cho said.
North Korea has conducted a series of missile launches this year, including the largest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, all of which are prohibited under UN Security Council resolutions.
Washington said it had tried to get North Korea to join the dialogue on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but the Kim Jong-un regime responded with provocation only.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer covering Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.
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