This discovery is something of a surprise for South Korea, which is still technically at war with its northern neighbour, given that it was agreed between the countries’ two former leaders that these broadcasts would cease after a summit in 2000. The North regularly threatens to destroy Japan, South Korea and the South’s main ally, the United States.
Advertisement
The launches drew swift condemnation from the United States and Japan, who vowed a coordinated response to Pyongyang’s repeated violations of UN sanctions that bar it from weapons tests. Seoul and Washington earlier this month chose to deploy the U.S.-led Thaad system to Seongju County in North Gyeongsang in an announcement that was met with strong opposition domestically and by China, Russia and North Korea.
He said it’s unlikely the North would rely on old-fashioned “number stations” broadcasts, whose hard-to-reset coding patterns had already been exposed to South Korean intelligence officers.
Pyongyang said it conducted a test of a warhead-detonating device when it fired a submarine-launched missile in April.
The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said images from July 7 of the Punggye-ri site show what appear to be supplies or equipment stacked near the spot where the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.
The missiles fired this morning are presumed to be Scud-class or intermediate-range Rodong missiles.
In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “The launches violate North Korea’s worldwide obligations and constitute a threat to regional and global security and stability”.
The tests on Tuesday had been personally ordered and monitored by leader Kim Jong-un, the North’s official KCNA news agency said.
The tests were meant to examine the operational characteristics of the detonation systems for nuclear warheads of ballistic missiles to the designated altitude above the targeted area, said KCNA.
Military experts said that the North’s strategic map is aimed at showing off their capabilities to strike the port, along with other major South Korean ports.
The media also clearly stated that the North will not stop its development of their ballistic missiles, a practice recently criticized by the South Korean President as “acts of threatening the peace of worldwide society”, during a recent Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
Advertisement
THAAD has been created to intercept ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight.
