North Korea launched an unidentified projectile off the east coast on Tuesday, South Korean and Japanese troops said, marking a second report of missile launches within a week.
Less than a week after North Korea launched what it claims to be a “hypersonic” missile, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) issued another launch warning.
JCS said in a media statement that a launch was detected at around 7:27 am from the interior of North Korea toward the sea off the east coast.
Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of Defense said North Korea’s weapons were probably ballistic missiles, but Kyodo News reported that the projectile appeared to have landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). , Cited a government source in Tokyo.
This month’s North Korean nuclear armament launch follows last year’s series of weapons tests highlighting how the Kim Jong-un administration will continue to expand its military power amid a voluntary blockade of pandemics and a deadlock in nuclear negotiations with the United States. is.
” [South Korean] The military remains prepared, with close cooperation and careful monitoring of relevant trends. [South Korea] A JCS statement added that it was investigating an incident with US intelligence.
The North Korean missile launch is “extremely regrettable,” said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Suspicious weapon launches, along with France, Ireland, Japan, Britain and Albania, accused the US of launching missiles last week in a joint statement shortly after its mission to the United Nations.
“These actions increase the risk of miscalculations and escalations and pose a significant threat to regional stability,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield said on Monday, which North Korea can offer to illegal arms dealers around the world. He added that he would expand things.
“”[North Korea] We will make these military investments at the expense of the well-being of the North Korean people, “said Thomas Greenfield.
North Korea claimed that its launch last week was a “hypersonic” missile, but it has not yet been independently confirmed.
Pyongyang state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on January 6 that “super-personal gliding bullets” traveled 120 kilometers laterally before moving 700 kilometers (435 miles) to “accurately” achieve their goals. Claimed to have piloted (75 miles).
Meanwhile, the Japanese and South Korean governments said there was reason to believe it could be a ballistic missile.
The Epoch Times has contacted the US State Department for comment.
At a major political conference earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen his army despite pandemic-related difficulties.
US-led diplomacy on North Korea’s nuclear program has been stalled since 2019 due to controversy over international sanctions on North Korea. The Biden administration has repeatedly called for an unconditional resumption of nuclear diplomacy “anytime, anywhere,” but North Korea argued that the United States must first withdraw its hostility before resuming negotiations.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons, supported by the Chinese Communist Party administration, have greatly supported Kim’s rule and the survival of the administration. During his ten-year reign, he conducted numerous weapons tests to gain the ability to launch a nuclear attack in the continental United States.
However, his country’s economy has been severely depressed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, US-led sanctions on his nuclear ambitions, and the mismanagement of his government itself.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Isabel van Brugen is an award-winning journalist and currently a news reporter for The Epoch Times. She holds a Master’s degree in Newspaper Journalism from City University of London.