North Korea conducts back-to-back ballistic missile launches in show of force
North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday afternoon after launching multiple such missiles earlier in the day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, in a rare back-to-back launch that came amid Pyongyang's hostile stance toward Seoul, Yonhap reports.
The JCS said it detected the missile launched from the Wonsan area in the North at around 2:20 p.m. and it flew over 700 kilometers.
The provocation came just hours after the JCS said it detected the short-range ballistic missiles also launched from the Wonsan area at around 8:50 a.m., which flew around 240 km before splashing into the sea.
It marked the North's fifth confirmed ballistic missile launch this year.
On Tuesday, the North also fired an unidentified projectile from the Pyongyang area, which is currently pending analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.
The projectile, believed to have been launched Tuesday morning, disappeared shortly after it was fired in an apparent failure.
The back-to-back launches came as President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone flights by individuals into the North at a Cabinet meeting Monday, saying the incidents have caused unnecessary military tension with Pyongyang.
Last week, prosecutors indicted three individuals accused of flying drones into North Korea between September and January.
Hours after Lee's remarks, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement that said North Korea's head of state assessed Lee as having a "frank and broad-minded" attitude.
But North Korea's first vice foreign minister, Jang Kum-chol, dismissed late Tuesday the South Korean government's positive interpretation of Kim's message as a "pipe dream."
Jang said the message should be seen as a "clear warning," stressing that South Korea remains the North's "most hostile state," suggesting the North's series of missile launches are an apparent show of force aimed at conveying its unchanged hostile stance against Seoul.
The North last fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on March 14 as annual springtime military drills by South Korea and the United States were under way. State media reported the following day the North conducted a firepower strike drill involving 600-millimeter ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers.
In response to the launches, the JCS said it is closely monitoring the North and has shared relevant information with the U.S. side.
"Our military is closely monitoring North Korea's various movements under a robust South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintains the capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation in an overwhelming manner," the JCS said.
The U.S. Forces Korea said it is "aware" of the recent missile launches and is consulting closely with allies and partners.
"Based on current assessments, these events do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies. The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region," it said in a statement.
Pyongyang has yet to release any report on the consecutive launches.
Earlier, it was reported that China had resumed direct flights to North Korea after a 6-year hiatus.
