North Korea intensifies military provocations with Russia's backing

A news report on North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles is seen on a television screen at Seoul Station, Monday. Yonhap

North Korea launched two ballistic missiles Monday, marking its latest military provocation as the reclusive regime continues to escalate cross-border tensions, now with Russia as its main backer.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Pyongyang launched two short-range ballistic missiles in the morning from the Jangyon area in South Hwanghae Province. The missiles were fired northeastward, with one launched around 5:05 a.m. and the other around 5:15 a.m.

The first missile flew about 600 kilometers before landing in the sea off the North's eastern coast, according to the JCS, while the second one flew about 120 kilometers, sparking speculation that it may have fallen on land near Pyongyang.

It was North Korea's eighth ballistic missile test so this year amid diversifying provocations, including the launch of trash-filled balloons, with the latest one occurring Wednesday.

Monday's missile launch occurred five days after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea, claiming it was a successful test launch of a multiple warhead missile. The South Korean military refuted this claim, describing it as "deception," asserting that the missile exploded in the early stage of flight.

There was also speculation that the latest missile test could have been a demonstration to increase the chances of missile exports to Russia amid enhanced military cooperation following a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, June 19.

Russia, which has emerged as North Korea's primary supporter in the field of defense, has strengthened its backing following the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Putin and Kim during their summit. Internationally, Moscow has been advocating for a review of the United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed on Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests.

"The right thing to do would be to call for a revision of the sanctions regime on North Korea if all member states of the UNSC are truly interested in easing tensions," Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said last week, echoing the Russian leader's remarks made during the meeting with Kim.

During the summit, Putin called for a review of the UNSC sanctions, criticizing them as an "indefinite restrictive regime led by the United States and its allies." He also described these sanctions as inhumane to the North Korean people, drawing parallels to the suffering of the Russians during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II.

Meanwhile, the North commenced a major plenary session of the Workers' Party of Korea on Friday, according to its state media, Korean Central News Agency. While the specific agendas were not disclosed, the multiday mid-year plenum is expected to review economic goals and discuss potential follow-up measures from the Kim-Putin summit.

Inter-Korean relations could also be among the topics of discussion. In the previous plenum in December 2023, the Kim regime abandoned the goal of unification on the Korean Peninsula and reclassified South Korea as its primary enemy state.