(Bloomberg) — North Korea fired what were believed to be two short-range ballistic missiles, adding to one of its biggest barrage of tests since Kim Jong Un took power a decade ago.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military “detected two projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles,” fired at around 8 a.m. Thursday from around North Korea’s eastern city of Hamhung. The suspected missiles flew about 190 kilometers (120 miles) and reached an altitude of 20 kms while flying toward waters off the nearby coast, it said.
Japan said there was no indication of a missile landing in its exclusive economic zone and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said North Korea’s launches of ballistic missiles are a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. South Korea’s National Security Council held a meeting and the government expressed its “strong regret” over the most recent launch.
North Korea typically doesn’t comment on its launches until a day after the event. The flight may indicate that North Korea was trying a depressed trajectory for one its short-range ballistic missiles, weapons expert Ankit Panda said on Twitter.
Pyongyang has ratcheted up tensions with six tests of weapons this month designed to hit U.S. allies South Korea and Japan. Earlier this week, North Korea fired what appeared to be two cruise missiles. It has also fired two “hypersonic missiles” designed to use high speeds and maneuverability to evade U.S.-operated interceptors as well as conducted its second test of a system to launch ballistic missiles from train cars.
While the UN Security Council has barred North Korea from ballistic missile testing, Pyongyang faces no such restrictions on tests of cruise missiles. Unlike ballistic missiles that fly at high speeds in an arched trajectory and aren’t powered on descent, cruise missiles are powered throughout flight and are generally more maneuverable.
Kim’s regime has also warned the Biden administration it might end its almost five-year halt on tests of nuclear devices and long-range missiles to deliver them to the U.S. mainland.
Kim Jong Un Blasts U.S., Signals Return to Nuclear, ICBM Tests
Forcing a crisis with Washington may be 38-year-old Kim’s best chance to break a diplomatic stalemate that has kept crippling sanctions in place and left the economy smaller than when he took power a decade ago. The Biden administration has said the door was open for Kim to return to the nuclear talks stalled for almost three years and indicated it could offer incentives for disarmament steps.
Kim might use the national holiday on Feb. 16 marking what would’ve been the 80th birthday of his late father, Kim Jong Il, to show off his newest weaponry. Satellite imagery of Pyongyang shows signs of preparations for a military parade, the DongA newspaper reported, an event North Korea has often used to unveil its advances to the world.
On top of the hit from sanctions, Kim’s decision to close borders about two years ago due to the coronavirus slammed the brakes on the little trade he had with China, his country’s main benefactor. The two reopened a rail link this month that had been shut for nearly a year and a half, in a sign North Korea needs outside help.
China’s hosting of the Winter Olympics that start Feb. 4 could lead North Korea to curtail its tests. Pyongyang may want to steer clear of causing a political diversion in the region that takes away from attention as its neighbor, and most important ally, hosts the global sports spectacle.
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