North Korea Fires 'Short-Range Ballistic Missiles'

North Korea launched what seemed to be two short-ballistic missiles on Monday, the South Army reported, weeks after Pyongyang vowed to reveal a "new nuclear arsenal" and its deadline for Washington to provide sanctions relief expired.

The test was the first by the nuclear-armed North after more than three months and came while nuclear talks with the United States stood at a standstill.

The two aircraft were launched eastward from the Wonsan area on the east coast and traveled 240 km at a maximum altitude of 35 km, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South reported.

They were "believed to be short-range ballistic missiles," a JCS official said.

South Korea's security ministers also voiced "serious fear" that the North is carrying out "conduct that give rise to military tensions," President Blue House reported.

Japan's defense ministry said there was no sign of something dropping into its territory or exclusive economic zone, but added: "Recent frequent tests by North Korea of ballistics and other missiles are a serious concern."

The launch comes as Pyongyang struggles to avoid a coronavirus epidemic and days after the one-year anniversary of the failure of the Hanoi summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.

Negotiations have since been deadlocked over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return, despite a high-profile June meeting in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula.

Pyongyang carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems. It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December.

At a party meeting at the end of that month, Kim declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened to demonstrate a "new strategic weapon" soon.

North Korea has a long history of seeking to demonstrate its military capability to try to obtain concessions.

"March is pretty reliably missile-testing season for North Korea," tweeted Ankit Panda, senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists.

"Looks like Covid-19 hasn't changed that (or Pyongyang is determined to make it appear as if it hasn't)," he added.

Former State Department official Mintaro Oba said: "Coronavirus dominates our attention at the moment, but this is a reminder that North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile programs."

It would "look for ways to gain leverage and reclaim the initiative as we get closer to the US presidential election," he added.

Source: AFP