North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into waters off its eastern coast, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Tuesday. It was the North’s second missile test of the month so far, coming eight days after its hypersonic missile test on January 6.
The SRBMs were launched from the Jagang area, the northern province of North Korea, around 9:30 a.m. KST and flew about 250 kilometers before falling into the sea to the east.
The South’s JCS said it is closely coordinating with its U.S. and Japanese counterparts by sharing information about the details of the North’s SRBMs launches, according to local media reports. The JCS added that it is maintaining the firm military readiness against the North.
North Korea launched a suspected hypersonic ballistic missile on January 6, which was the first missile test since November 5 when it tested multiple SRBMs. A day after the launch, the North’s state media confirmed that it tested a hypersonic missile and shared more details of the performance of the missile.
“The performance of our latest intermediate-range hypersonic missile system cannot be ignored worldwide, and the system can deal a serious military strike to a rival by effectively breaking any of its defense defensive barriers,” Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, was quoted as saying in the North’s state media Korean Central News Agency report. The KCNA said Kim oversaw the missile test and was satisfied with the performance of the missile.
“The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any enemies in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state,” Kim said.
The North’s hypersonic missile test was “a part of the plans for the development of the national defense capabilities to raise the durability and effectiveness of the strategic deterrent against the potential enemies in conformity with the changing regional security environment,” according to the KCNA.
Insisting that the missile launch “has no negative impact on the security of the neighboring countries,” the KCNA also said the North’s development of its defense capabilities “will be further accelerated.”
Following the North’s state media reports on the performance of the tested hypersonic missile, the South’s JCS had not shared more details of its own analysis. However, the South Korean military implied that the North might have “again” exaggerated the performance of the missile on the basis of its previous reports filled with “deception.”
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok, who is also the finance minister, condemned the North’s missile launch, calling it “a clear violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” according to local media. He also vowed to respond to the North’s missile provocations based on a firm defense readiness posture and the alliance with the United States.
Pyongyang avoided making any provocations during the weeks immediately after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol created an unprecedented political crisis in South Korea by issuing an illegitimate martial law decree on December 3. As Yoon brought up “anti-state” and “pro-North Korean” forces as the main causes for his decision, Pyongyang apparently tried not to give him any justification for his actions by pausing missile tests for two months.
However, this month the North has resumed its missile tests, which is one of its tactics to draw attention from the United States and raise the stakes for future negotiations with Washington and Seoul. As U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who expressed his intention to sit down with Kim again during his presidential campaign, is about to return to the White House, North Korea may likely accelerate its missile tests while closely working with Moscow to support its war efforts in Ukraine.