"North Korea Fires Second Set of Missiles, Kim Jong Un's Sister Warns of Pacific as 'Firing Range"
North Korea Fires Second Set of Missiles
In a statement released by the official KCNA, Kim Yo Jong
said, "The frequency of using the Pacific as our shooting range relies
upon the action type of the American troops."
Two days after its latest missile launch, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, according to South Korean and Japanese officials. Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, issued a warning that the Pacific may be used as a "shooting range," with the frequency of its use depending on how the US military responded. According to South Korea's military, the missiles were launched from the Sukchon region in the province of South Pyongan. North Korea had fired a "suspected ballistic missile," according to a warning from Japan's Prime Minister's Office, and the coastguard had sent alerts about other projectiles.
North Korea carried out what it described as a
"surprise" intercontinental ballistic missile firing rehearsal on
Saturday (ICBM). In reaction to Japan's claim that the Missile had flown for 66
minutes before landing in its exclusive economic zone, Seoul and Washington
conducted combined air drills on Sunday that included a strategic bomber and
stealth fighter planes.
Kim Yo Jong stated that North Korea would continue to take
"corresponding counteraction" to any perceived threats in a statement
released by the official KCNA. The projected nine-hour delay between ordering
and launching the ICBM practice was criticized, but she rejected it as an
attempt to "undervalue the preparedness of the DPRK missile forces."
Analysts in South Korea hypothesized that North Korea's irate response was part
of a "pattern" of resistance to any outside evaluation of their ICBM
capabilities.
The Monday missile launch, according to Hong Min of the
Korea Institute for National Unification, was North Korea's "response to
Korea-US joint aerial exercise over the weekend," and North Korea's use of
shorter-range missiles suggested it was "virtually targeting US bases and
South Korean command center in the area," according to Hong Min. The most
recent missile launches are expected to heighten regional tensions and raise
questions about North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Just before Seoul
and Washington are scheduled to begin joint tabletop drills later this week to
improve their response in the event of a North Korean nuclear strike, the
sanctions-busting North Korean launches took place.
This week, Pyongyang issued a threat of an
"unprecedented" retaliatory strike in reaction to impending military
exercises, which it characterizes as war preparations and holds responsible for
the deteriorating security situation on the Korean peninsula.
As North Korea declared itself an "irreversible"
nuclear state and leader Kim demanded an "exponential" rise in weapon
development, including tactical nuclear weapons, relations between the two
Koreas are at their lowest point in years.
