North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said, after Pyongyang warned of a strong response to upcoming US-South Korea military drills.
Japan’s coastguard also said North Korea fired what could be a ballistic missile on Saturday.
On Friday, North Korea threatened an “unprecedentedly persistent, strong” response to South Korea and the US gearing up for annual military exercises as part of efforts to fend off Pyongyang’s growing nuclear and missile threats.
North Korea on Sunday confirmed it had fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the day before in a “sudden launching drill” for mobile counterattacks against hostile forces.
The launch was conducted on an “emergency firepower combat standby order” given at dawn, followed by a written order from Kim Jong-un at 8am local time, KCNA said. South Korea’s military said it detected the missile at 5.22pm.
“The important bit here is that the exercise was ordered day-of, without warning to the crew involved,” said Ankit Panda, a missile expert at the Washington–based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The amount of time between the order and the launch is likely going to be decreased with additional testing.”
North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could strike anywhere in the US, while resuming preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017.
Pyongyang may have created a military unit to operate new ICBMs, in line with its recent restructuring of the military, state media video footage from a 9 February parade suggested.
US-South Korea nuclear drills, called the deterrence strategy committee tabletop exercise, are scheduled for Wednesday at the Pentagon and will involve senior defence policymakers from both sides, Seoul’s defence ministry said.
The two countries are also planning a range of expanded field exercises, including live fire drills, in the coming weeks and months.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, which ended in an armistice rather than a full peace treaty, leaving the parties still technically at war.
With Reuters
