North Korea fired off three ballistic missiles on Tuesday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
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One flew 500 kilometers (311 miles) and another 600 kilometers (373 miles) before crashing into the sea off the country’s east coast, according to a South Korean military statement, which said the third missile’s trajectory was still being examined.
“The US and South Korean governments, against wide opposition of South Koreans (and strong subsequent backlash from local citizens of the deployment site [Seongju]), have agreed to deploy the US-made THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) system in South Korea”.
Following the latest nuclear test and a February space rocket launch that was widely viewed as a missile test in disguise, the UN Security Council imposed tough new resolutions that further isolate North Korea.
South Korea’s mock missiles are displayed next to North Korea’s mock Scud-B, left, at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea.
The North has warned it will take “physical counter-action” against the THAAD location. USSTRATCOM worked with both the South Korean and Japanese governments to track the launches. “The missiles North Korea has fired in the past are nearly same as the ones it fired today”, said Professor Kim Dong-yeop, a military analyst at Kyungnam University in South Korea.
The North Korean missile launch may have also been, in part, an attempt to increase public anxiety over THAAD in South Korea.
North Korea has fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, according to neighbouring South Korea.
Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck also said South Korea will take the necessary diplomatic steps to stiffen global pressure on Pyongyang, which already faces United Nations sanctions that were toughened after it conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.
“We are closely watching any military moves from the North and are fully prepared for additional missile launches”, the spokesman said.
The U.N. Security Council voted to impose significant punitive measures on the state at the time.
Many experts in Seoul say it’s highly likely the North will continue its protest against the THAAD deployment, so we’ll have to keep a close eye on how this plays out.
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Others under inquiry include six South Korean nationals who have gone missing, including Baek Cheol-beom, and two other South Koreans, including Choe Hong-sik, who was possibly abducted during the 1950-53 Korean War.
