A TV screen showing a news program reporting about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's missile launch with file footage, is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Oct 6, 2022. (LEE JIN-MAN / AP)
SEOUL/TOKYO – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday in the direction of Japan, after the return of a US aircraft carrier to the region and a UN Security Council meeting in response to the DPRK's recent launches.
The missile launch was the sixth in 12 days and the first since the DPRK fired an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday, which prompted joint missile drills by the Republic of Korea and the US during which one weapon crashed and burned.
The missile launch came about an hour after the DPRK condemned the United States for talking to the United Nations Security Council about Pyongyang's "just counteraction measures of the Korean People's Army on the ROK-US joint drills," suggesting its missile tests are a reaction to the allied military moves
The launch was reported by the ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese government.
"This is the sixth time in the short period, just counting the ones from the end of September," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
The launch came about an hour after the DPRK condemned the United States for talking to the United Nations Security Council about Pyongyang's "just counteraction measures of the Korean People's Army on the ROK-US joint drills," suggesting its missile tests are a reaction to the allied military moves.
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In a statement released by the nation's foreign ministry, the DPRK also condemned Washington for repositioning a US aircraft carrier off the Korean peninsula, saying it posed a serious threat to the stability of the situation.
The USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group of accompanying warships was abruptly redeployed in response to the DPRK's IRBM launch over Japan.
The ROK's President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is due to speak to Kishida by phone on Thursday, told reporters that his country will ensure its security through its alliance with the United States and cooperation with Japan.
He said the US carrier had entered waters off the ROK late on Wednesday.
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In this photo provided by the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Korea, an Army Tactical Missile System or ATACMS, missile is fired during a joint military drill between US and the ROK at an undisclosed location in the ROK, Oct 5, 2022. (ROK DEFENSE MINISTRY VIA AP)
In a statement released by the nation's foreign ministry, the DPRK also condemned Washington for repositioning a US aircraft carrier off the Korean peninsula, saying it posed a serious threat to the stability of the situation
The first missile on Thursday likely flew to an altitude of about 100 km and a range of 350 km, while the second one had an estimated altitude of 50 kilometers and covered 800 km, likely flying in an irregular trajectory, said Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said.
Many of the DPRK's most recent short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) are designed to fly on a lower, depressed trajectory and potentially manoeuvre, complicating efforts to detect and intercept them.
The ROK's JCS said the missiles were launched from near the DPRK's capital of Pyongyang.
The DPRK has launched about 40 missiles this year. Its record schedule began in January with the launch of a new "hypersonic missile," and went on to include long-range cruise missiles; SRBMs fired from rail cars, airports, and a submarine; its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches since 2017; and the IRBM shot over Japan.
It also appears ready to conduct a nuclear test for the first time since 2017, according to officials in Seoul and Washington.
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The United States and its allies have stepped up displays of military force in the region, but there appears to be little prospect of further international sanctions from the UN Security Council, which has already passed resolutions banning the DPRKs missile and nuclear development.