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| North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from around Wonsan-Kalma in Gangwon Province, flying northeast into the East Sea on Wednesday morning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It came six days after the North launched two other SRBMs from Wonsan. This photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) last Friday shows a missile being launched the previous day. KCTV-Yonhap |
NSC expresses grave concern over North Korea test
By Jung Da-min
North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea, Wednesday morning, the latest in a series of missile tests off its eastern coastal area since May.
These latest launches came six days after a similar test of two missiles last week.
Hours after the missile tests, Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC), presided over by National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong.
"We expressed grave concerns over the firing of the missiles, which could have a negative impact on peace-building efforts," the presidential office said in a statement following the NSC meeting. It added, however, that it will continue diplomatic efforts to keep up the momentum for denuclearization talks following the June 30 meeting of the leaders of the two Koreas and the United States.
The two missiles were launched from the Wonsan-Kalma area in Gangwon Province into the East Sea, flying northeast for 250 kilometers at an altitude of about 30 kilometers, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). They were launched at 5:06 a.m. and 5:27 a.m. respectively. The JCS added that they flew into seas off the Hodo Peninsula in South Hamgyong Province, from where it said the missiles were launched in its initial announcement.
"We are analyzing the possibility that it (the launch on July 31) could be of similar type to the SRBMs launched last week," a JCS official said. "The missiles were fired from transporter erector launchers (TELs)."
He noted that North Korea has been conducting a series of missile test launches at relatively low altitudes since May.
The official said the JCS was monitoring the recent activities of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, who observed last week's missiles launches from the same area.
Following the missile tests, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told a forum hosted by the state-run Korea Institute of Defense Analyses (KIDA) at the Westin Chosun Seoul that the military was maintaining its readiness to counter possible threats from the North.
"The North Korean regime and military will be included in the concept of enemy if the threats and provocations they pose are directed at us," Jeong said, dismissing concerns that South Korea's military has been lax regarding security amid ongoing diplomatic efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Jeong reiterated the strong alliance between South Korea and the U.S., noting the joint exercises between the two countries will take place as usual, despite being scaled down.
Military experts said it was possible North Korea was testing its KN-23s ― a modified version of the Russian Iskander ballistic missile, a variant of which can deliver payloads on a relatively flattened trajectory compared to other missiles, making them harder for anti-missile defenses to stop.
North Korea has conducted missile tests on May 4 and 9 and on July 25 and 31, involving two SRBMs each time. In a report to the National Assembly, Wednesday, the military said the May 4 launch involved two missiles among projectiles launched that day, altering its initial announcement that there was only one.
"It is likely that North Korea will continue these types of low-profile missile tests for a while in what it describes to be a protest of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise scheduled to take place next month, while what it really wants is to give a message to the U.S. ahead of working-level denuclearization negotiations," said Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
A National Assembly steering committee meeting set for Wednesday was delayed after the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) accepted a request from the opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP). LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won called on Cheong Wa Dae to make all-out efforts to maintain a "stern security posture" against possible North Korean threats.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will closely cooperate with Washington though the launches would not affect Japan's security. Abe did not mention South Korea, unlike last week when he said he would cooperate with Washington and Seoul.
