Tensions in East Asia reach dangerous new level

This March 26 file photo carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency shows a KN-23 missile being launched from a transporter erector launcher on March 25. The North on Thursday fired two short-range ballistic missiles, one of which is assumed to be the KN-25.

North Korea resorts to another show of force with air drills hours after firing ballistic missiles

By Nam Hyun-woo

A series of phone conversations between the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan following North Korea's latest missile launches demonstrates just how much tensions have escalated in East Asia.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on Thursday, marking the sixth launch in the last 12 days. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the SRBMs were launched from the Samsok area near Pyongyang between 6:01 a.m. and 6:23 a.m.

The first missile flew approximately 350 kilometers after reaching a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers, and the second one traveled approximately 800 kilometers after reaching a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers. The missiles' top speeds reached Mach 5 and 6, respectively.

Given the trajectory, experts believe the first missile was the KN-25 and the second one was the KN-23, better known as the North Korean version of the Russian Iskander-M missile.

Tensions had escalated further hours later as 12 North Korean military aircraft _ four bombers and eight fighter jets _ flew in formation and presumably conducted a firing exercise Thursday, in an apparent protest against recent military drills between South Korea and the U.S., according to South Korean military officials.

The officials said the formation flight took place south of "a special monitoring line" between the North Korean cities of Pyongyang and Wonsan at around 2 p.m., and they were assumed to have conducted air-to-surface firing drills. More than 30 South Korean military aircraft were deployed to the area in response.

A special monitoring line is an aerial boundary the South Korean military has designated to enable prompt responses to the North's moves. Reportedly, it was the first time that North Korea carried out such a formation flight and strike drill in protest against the South.

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President Yoon Suk-yeol answers reporters' questions as he enters the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk-yeol said the security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula remains tense, but pledged to remain vigilant.

"Since the situation is not easy to deal with, the USS Ronald Reagan returned to our waters at around 8 p.m. yesterday," Yoon said. "The public would be worried about the current security circumstances, but the government will not miss a single step in protecting the people based on the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance and the security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo."

Seoul's National Security Council (NSC) condemned the launch as "a challenge to the international society that shall not be overlooked" and also issued a warning against the North.

"As seen by the redeployment of the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group in the East Sea following the Oct. 4 launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, the members of the NSC warned that North Korea's provocations will only end up facing stronger responses," the NSC said in a statement.

With the U.S., South Korea and Japan having already staged joint anti-submarine drills on Sept. 30, the three sides conducted a combined missile detection and tracking drill on Thursday, which involved the returned USS Ronald Reagan, South Korea's ROKS Sejong the Great and Japan's JS ChoKai.

In this Sept. 23 file photo, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is escorted as it arrives in Busan. The aircraft carrier joined a combined naval drill with the South Korean military and Japan's Self-Defense Force on Thursday. AP-Yonhap

As the North escalates tensions, the response of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo is taking a new form, with their respective leaders coming to the front to address the matter at the highest level.

On Tuesday, the White House said U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had a phone call to discuss North Korea's latest provocations, recognizing "the launch as a danger to the Japanese people, destabilizing the region, and a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions."

The leaders also confirmed that they would closely coordinate their immediate and longer-term responses bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea.

Also on Tuesday, Biden sent a signed letter to Yoon, which noted "the two countries common goals." A senior official at the presidential office said this reflects their close cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast region following the North's provocations.

"The three countries have their nuclear and North Korea envoys to handle the North Korea issue, but their role is solving it through negotiations and diplomacy," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. "There have always been tensions surrounding the Korean Peninsula, but the fact that leaders are coming to the front to address the issue shows that the threat has now reached a new level."

Park also noted that the three leaders are being more active in addressing North Korea's provocations, as risks to national security help to unite the public, which is a plus for improving the domestic support of their administrations.

"The three leaders are struggling with their low job approval ratings in their respective homelands. A firm and decisive posture on security matters helps their people to unite," Park said.