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Thu, February 25, 2021 | 17:16
-------------------------
North Korea fires two Scuds into East Sea
北, 스커드 추정 단거리 미사일 2발 또 동해로 발사
Posted : 2014-07-09 17:04
Updated : 2014-07-10 09:38
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By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles, presumed to be Scuds, into the East Sea from a western inland site Wednesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

"Pyongyang launched two missiles from a base in Hwanghae Province at 4 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. without proclaiming a no-sail, no-fly zone before firing them," JCS spokesman Um Hyo-sik said.

They flew some 500 kilometers and landed in international waters, Um said.

"The South Korean military is strengthening its surveillance and maintaining a readiness posture in case of additional launches," he said.

Despite the provocation, the North has recently been making peace overtures, proposing to send cheerleaders to the Incheon Asian Games, and urging that the South and North stop all hostile activities.

Experts say the North is eager to prove it is seeking peace on the Korean Peninsula while showing its military capabilities, as part of its conventional "dubious" tactics for dealing with security issues.

The launches came seven days after it fired off two short-range projectiles presumed to be rockets from a 300 millimeter multiple-rocket launcher into the East Sea, a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Seoul.

Wednesday's missile-firings also came hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Chinese officials at the sixth-annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing to talk about a broad range of bilateral issues. The North's missile and nuclear ambitions were likely on the agenda. Xi attended the opening ceremony of the meeting.

Experts assumed that the isolated state probably wanted to show off its missile capability through the launches amid worsening relations with Beijing, its only remaining major ally.

The latest launched were the 13th by the North this year and the fifth involving ballistic missiles.

"Beijing-Pyongyang relations have recently worsened with Xi's Seoul visit," said Kim Youl-soo, a professor at Sungshin Women's University.

Kim said that the North's third nuclear test and the sudden purge of No. 2 man Jang Song-thaek triggered the cooler Beijing-Pyongyang relations.

"Xi became the first Chinese leader who visited Seoul before Pyongyang, and the North is now attempting to join hands with Japan and Russia to avoid being isolated. Beijing-Pyongyang relations are continuing to take a turn for the worse," he said.

In addition, military officials are paying much more attention to the firing site of the Wednesday's launch, as it marked the first time in nearly two decades that the North fired off missiles from an inland area, and not a coastal one.

Hwanghae Province is located near the West Sea, meaning that the missiles crossed over part of the reclusive state.

"Pyongyang appears to be staging an armed protest with a purpose of showing that it can fire missiles at anytime from anywhere," said an official.


北, 스커드 추정 단거리 미사일 2발 또 동해로 발사

이례적으로 황해도서 발사, 北지역 가로지른뒤 공해상 떨어져
사거리 500여㎞…'미사일 능력 과시 목적 무력시위' 분석


북한이 9일 새벽 스커드로 추정되는 단거리 탄도미사일 2발을 동해 상으로 발사했다고 합동참모본부가 밝혔다.

합참의 한 관계자는 이날 '북한이 오늘 새벽 4시와 4시20분께 2회에 걸쳐 황해도 지역 일대에서 동북방향의 동해 상으로 항행금지구역을 선포하지 않은 가운데 단거리 탄도미사일 2발을 발사했다'고 밝혔다.

이 관계자는 '이 탄도미사일의 사거리는 500여㎞ 내외로 판단되며 우리 군은 북한의 추가발사 가능성에 대비해 감시를 강화하면서 만반의 대비태세를 유지하고 있다'고 말했다.

군 당국은 이날 발사된 단거리 탄도미사일을 스커드 계열로 추정하고 있다.

북한이 보유한 스커드 미사일은 사거리 300㎞인 스커드-B와 사거리 500㎞인 스커드-C, 사거리 700㎞ 이상인 스커드-D 및 그 개량형인 스커드-ER이 있다. 사거리를 고려할 때 이번 탄도미사일은 스커드-C이거나 스커드-ER일 가능성이 큰 것으로 군 당국은 보고 있다.

북한의 발사체 발사는 올해 들어 13번째다. 이번 발사는 시진핑(習近平) 중국 국가주석의 방한 하루 전인 지난 2일 300㎜ 방사포로 추정되는 단거리 발사체 2발을 발사한 이후 7일 만이다.

북한은 지난 2월21일부터 이날까지 300㎜ 신형 방사포와 스커드 및 노동 미사일, 프로그 로켓 등 95발의 중·단거리 발사체를 발사했다.

이중 탄도미사일 발사는 올해 들어 5번째로, 북한은 스커드와 노동 미사일을 총 10발 시험발사했다.

특히 이날 탄도미사일은 황해도 평산 일대에서 발사돼 북한 지역을 가로지른 뒤 동해 공해상으로 떨어졌다는 점에서 주목을 받고 있다.

북한은 지난 3월26일에도 평안도 숙천 일대에서 노동 미사일 2발을 북한 지역을 가로질러 동해 상으로 발사한 바 있다. 북한이 황해도에서 탄도미사일을 발사한 것은 2000년대 들어 처음인 것으로 알려졌다.

김민석 국방부 대변인은 이날 브리핑에서 북한의 발사 의도에 대해 '언제 어디서든 기습적으로 탄도미사일을 발사할 수 있다는 능력을 과시하고 군사적 긴장감을 높이려는 의도로 보인다'며 '정확한 발사의도를 분석 중'이라고 밝혔다. (연합뉴스)
Emailjjh@ktimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter









 
 
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