North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of U.S. VP Harris visit

SEOUL, Sept 25 (Reuters) – North Korea fired a ballistic missile in the direction of the ocean off its east coast on Sunday, ahead of deliberate navy drills by South Korean and U.S. forces involving an plane provider and a visit to the area by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

South Korea’s navy mentioned it was a single, short-range ballistic missile fired from close to the Taechon space of North Pyongyan Province simply earlier than 7 a.m. native time and flew about 600 km (373 miles) at an altitude of 60 km and a pace of Mach 5.

“North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile is an act of grave provocation that threatens the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and international community,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned in a press release.

After the launch, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Seung-kyum and the U.S. Forces Korea Commander Paul LaCamera mentioned the scenario and reaffirmed their readiness to reply to any menace or provocation from North Korea, it added.

South Korea’s National Security Council held an emergency assembly to debate response measures and condemned the launch as an obvious violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolutions and an unjustifiable act of provocation.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who arrived in Seoul late on Saturday from a visit to Britain, the United States and Canada, was briefed on the launch, the presidential workplace mentioned.

Japan’s Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada mentioned Japan estimated the missile reached most altitude at 50 km and should have flown on an irregular trajectory. Hamada mentioned it fell exterior Japan’s unique financial zone and there have been no studies of issues with transport or air site visitors.

Many of the short-range missiles examined by North Korea lately have been designed to evade missile defences by manoeuvring throughout flight and flying on a decrease, “depressed” trajectory, consultants have mentioned.

“If you include launches of cruise missiles this is the nineteenth launch, which is an unprecedented pace,” Hamada mentioned.

“North Korea’s action represents a threat to the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community and to do this as the Ukraine invasion unfolds is unforgivable,” he mentioned, including that Japan had delivered a protest by North Korea’s embassy in Beijing.

The U.S. Indo-pacific Command mentioned it was conscious of the launch and consulting carefully with allies, in a press release launched after the launch, whereas reaffirming U.S. dedication to the defence of South Korea and Japan.

“While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilising impact of the DPRK’s unlawful Weapons of Mass Destruction and ballistic missile programs.”

JOINT DRILLS

The launch comes after the arrival of the nuclear-powered American plane provider USS Ronald Reagan in South Korea to take part in joint drills with South Korean forces for 4 days from Sept. 26 to 29, and ahead of a deliberate visit to Seoul this week by Harris. learn extra

It was the primary time the North carried out such a launch after firing eight short-range ballistic missiles in at some point in early June, which led the United States to name for extra sanctions for violating U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korea rejects U.N. resolutions as an infringement of its sovereign proper to self defence and house exploration, and has criticized earlier joint drills by the United States and South Korea as proof of their hostile insurance policies.

The drills have additionally been criticised by Russia and China, which have known as on all sides to not take steps that increase tensions within the area, and have known as for an easing of sanctions.

After North Korea carried out an unprecedented quantity of missile exams this 12 months, together with its intercontinental ballistic missiles for the primary time since 2017, the United States and South Korea mentioned they might enhance joint drills and navy shows of energy to discourage Pyongyang.

“Defense exercises are not going to prevent North Korean missile tests,” mentioned Leif-Eric Easley, a global affairs professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

But U.S.-South Korea safety cooperation helps to discourage a North Korean assault and counter Pyongyang’s coercion, and the allies mustn’t let provocations cease them from conducting navy coaching and exchanges wanted to keep up the alliance, he added.

South Korea’s Yonhap information company reported on Saturday that North Korea may be making ready to check a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), citing the South’s navy. learn extra

Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Additional reporting by Josh Smith and Tim Kelly; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Himani Sarkar

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