Pyongyang fires five projectiles into East Sea
By Jun Ji-hye
The government said Monday that North Korea is apparently ready to conduct a fifth nuclear test.
Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a regular briefing that the North is "capable of carrying out an additional nuclear test at any time once its leadership decides to do so."
He said the militaries in South Korea and the United States were keeping a close watch on activities at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the isolated country, where it conducted its fourth nuclear test, Jan. 6.
Unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee also said that the North was able to conduct a fifth nuclear test "immediately," adding the government was preparing for "all possibilities."
The comments from the ministries come after 38 North, a website operated by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, stated Saturday that there has been "continued activity" at the Punggye-ri site.
The website specializing in North Korea news said it was highly likely that the site is capable of "supporting additional tests at any time."
Later on Monday, the North fired five short-range projectiles into the East Sea from 3:19 p.m. — the latest in a series of provocations following the imposition of international sanctions.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the projectiles, presumed to be those from the 300-millimeter-caliber multiple launch rocket system, were fired from Hamheung, South Hamgyeong Province, and flew some 200 kilometers.
A JCS official said that it was currently analyzing the nature of the projectiles, adding, "The military is closely monitoring movements of North Korean soldiers in preparation for any additional provocations."
The repressive state recently claimed that it had miniaturized nuclear warheads that could be fitted to its missiles, and that it has developed a missile reentry vehicle, necessary for a nuclear-armed ballistic missile to deliver its payload after reentering the Earth's atmosphere.
But officials from Seoul and Washington, as well as outside experts, mostly say that such claims have not been verified as there have been no open tests.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said last week that his regime will test nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles "in a short time" in an apparent effort to respond to such questions raised by the international community.
"Considering previous North Korean provocation patterns and the comments from Kim Jong-un, the possibility cannot be ruled that the North may have already completed preparations for an additional nuclear test," Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, told reporters. "The additional test will depend on Kim's decision, not the regime's technical capability."
South Korean defense officials are also preparing for the possibility that the North may fire a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 kilometers, given that the regime has raised the intensity of its provocations by firing two short-range ballistic missiles, believed to be a type of Scud, into the East Sea, on March 10, and two mid-range missiles, presumed to be of the Nodong-type, also into the East Sea, on March 18.
Scuds with a range of up to 500 kilometers are capable of striking targets across the Korean Peninsula, while the Nodong with a range of 1,300 kilometers can hit a target on the Japanese mainland and Okinawa. The Musudan could reach Guam.
As part of efforts to maintain readiness to counter provocative actions from the North, the South Korean Air Force conducted a large-scale attack drill, Monday, which envisions the destruction of the North's key military facilities.
Sixteen F-15Ks, KF-16s fighter jets and FA-50 light attack fighters as well as two C-130H transport planes were mobilized during the drill.
"The large-scale attack drill took place to better deter the North's additional provocations and enhance our readiness posture," the Air Force stated in a release.
By Jun Ji-hye
The government said Monday that North Korea is apparently ready to conduct a fifth nuclear test.
Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a regular briefing that the North is "capable of carrying out an additional nuclear test at any time once its leadership decides to do so."
He said the militaries in South Korea and the United States were keeping a close watch on activities at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the isolated country, where it conducted its fourth nuclear test, Jan. 6.
Unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee also said that the North was able to conduct a fifth nuclear test "immediately," adding the government was preparing for "all possibilities."
The comments from the ministries come after 38 North, a website operated by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, stated Saturday that there has been "continued activity" at the Punggye-ri site.
The website specializing in North Korea news said it was highly likely that the site is capable of "supporting additional tests at any time."
Later on Monday, the North fired five short-range projectiles into the East Sea from 3:19 p.m. — the latest in a series of provocations following the imposition of international sanctions.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the projectiles, presumed to be those from the 300-millimeter-caliber multiple launch rocket system, were fired from Hamheung, South Hamgyeong Province, and flew some 200 kilometers.
A JCS official said that it was currently analyzing the nature of the projectiles, adding, "The military is closely monitoring movements of North Korean soldiers in preparation for any additional provocations."
The repressive state recently claimed that it had miniaturized nuclear warheads that could be fitted to its missiles, and that it has developed a missile reentry vehicle, necessary for a nuclear-armed ballistic missile to deliver its payload after reentering the Earth's atmosphere.
But officials from Seoul and Washington, as well as outside experts, mostly say that such claims have not been verified as there have been no open tests.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said last week that his regime will test nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles "in a short time" in an apparent effort to respond to such questions raised by the international community.
"Considering previous North Korean provocation patterns and the comments from Kim Jong-un, the possibility cannot be ruled that the North may have already completed preparations for an additional nuclear test," Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, told reporters. "The additional test will depend on Kim's decision, not the regime's technical capability."
South Korean defense officials are also preparing for the possibility that the North may fire a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 kilometers, given that the regime has raised the intensity of its provocations by firing two short-range ballistic missiles, believed to be a type of Scud, into the East Sea, on March 10, and two mid-range missiles, presumed to be of the Nodong-type, also into the East Sea, on March 18.
Scuds with a range of up to 500 kilometers are capable of striking targets across the Korean Peninsula, while the Nodong with a range of 1,300 kilometers can hit a target on the Japanese mainland and Okinawa. The Musudan could reach Guam.
As part of efforts to maintain readiness to counter provocative actions from the North, the South Korean Air Force conducted a large-scale attack drill, Monday, which envisions the destruction of the North's key military facilities.
Sixteen F-15Ks, KF-16s fighter jets and FA-50 light attack fighters as well as two C-130H transport planes were mobilized during the drill.
"The large-scale attack drill took place to better deter the North's additional provocations and enhance our readiness posture," the Air Force stated in a release.
