North Korea yesterday fired what appeared to be the most powerful missile it has tested since US President Joe Biden took office, as it revives its old playbook in brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and neighbors amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.
The Japanese and South Korean militaries said the missile was launched on a lofted trajectory, apparently to avoid the territorial spaces of neighbors, and reached a maximum altitude of 2,000km and traveled 800km before landing in the sea.
The flight details suggest that North Korea tested its longest-range ballistic missile since 2017, when it twice flew intermediate-range ballistic missiles
US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were yesterday to hold their first formal talks as the two leaders face fresh concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s growing military assertiveness.
The virtual meeting comes after North Korea earlier this week indicated that it might resume nuclear and long-range missile testing that has been paused for more than three years.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday presided over a Workers’ Party meeting where officials set policy goals for “immediately bolstering” military capabilities to counter what were described as the US’ “hostile moves,” the Korean Central News Agency
North Korea yesterday fired two suspected ballistic missiles, Seoul said, its fourth weapons test this month, as Pyongyang flexes its military muscle while ignoring offers of talks from the US.
Despite biting international sanctions, Pyongyang has conducted a string of weapons tests this year, including hypersonic missiles, as leader Kim Jong-un pursues his avowed goal of further strengthening the military.
Reeling economically from a self-imposed COVID-19 blockade, impoverished North Korea has not responded to Washington’s offers of talks, doubled down on weapons tests, and vowed a “stronger and certain” response to any attempts to rein it in.
The launches come at a delicate
North Korea yesterday fired two ballistic missiles, South Korea and Japan said, in what would be its third weapons test this month, despite a fresh volley of US sanctions.
The latest launches came just hours after Pyongyang warned of a “stronger and certain” reaction to sanctions on five North Koreans linked to the country’s ballistic missile program.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from North Pyongan Province, adding that they were “analyzing the specifications.”
The weapons likely “fell outside” Japan’s territorial waters, Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi told reporters, adding that the repeated