All three missiles were medium-range Rodong class and flew about 1,000km, South Korea’s military said.
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Analysts could only speculate on the reasons for Pyongyang’s latest missile launch, which range from a show of military strength to a protest against a new South Korean Bill against human rights abuses in North Korea.
The US Strategic Command said in a statement that two of the three were presumed to be “intermediate range” ballistic missiles and that the third was still being assessed.
That missile entered Japan’s air defense identification zone, the first time that has happened. Monday’s test involved three missiles, compared to just one test-fired on Kim Jong Un’s birthday in April.
A senior U.S. administration official at the G20 condemned the launches as a threat to its allies and to civilian air travel, and vowed diplomatic action against the Pyongyang regime.
The launch was widely condemned by the USA and other major powers, but analysts saw it as a clear step forward for North Korea’s nuclear strike ambitions.
Also noting that Monday’s “reckless” missile launches threaten civil aviation and maritime commerce in the region, he said Washington will raise those concerns at the East Asia Summit starting in Laos on Tuesday to “bolster global resolve” to hold Pyongyang accountable for its provocative actions.
“We will raise our concerns at the United Nations about the threat posed to worldwide security by these programs”, he continued. We will also do so in other fora-including the upcoming East Asia Summit-to bolster global resolve to hold the D.P.R.K. accountable for its provocative actions.
Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, also repeated previous comments saying United States commitment to the defence of allies South Korea and Japan was “ironclad”. “All this shows progress in North Korea’s missile technologies”, Inada said.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for calm.
“We are maintaining a full readiness posture in preparation for additional provocations”, announced South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The launch also occurred hours after Park met with Chinese President Xi Jinping about North Korea. Xi told Park that his country remains committed to “the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”.
While Seoul and Washington say the system is intended exclusively to defend against North Korea’s missile threat, Beijing says it would enable the US military to peer deeply into northeastern China. China is concerned that the THAAD system will threaten its own national security interests and put too much pressure on its belligerent northern neighbor.
She added that China was understandably concerned “about having a USA made, U.S. run missile system in its backyard”.
“There is nothing that North Korea can gain from such a provocation”, the spokesperson added. None of them were amused by Pyongyang’s latest act of belligerence.
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Of course, the issue brought up the THAAD anti-missile system from the U.S.to South Korea.
