Japanese and South Korean authorities said that North Korea has launched another ballistic missile amid rising tensions among countries, marking the nation's 14th test this year alone which flew into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday.
The North launched the missile from Sunan, an area of the capital Pyongyang, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. On the other hand, Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Makoto Oniki said that the ballistic missile was estimated to have flown at a maximum altitude of roughly 800 kilometers and flew a distance of about 500 kilometers before plunging into the sea.
North Korea's Latest Missile Launch
The recent launch marks the North's first since a military parade that was conducted on Apr. 25 where Kim Jong-Un vowed that he would ramp up his development of nuclear arms. During the parade, authorities showcased a variety of weaponry, including a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), multiple giant rocket launchers, and a submarine-launched ballistic missile, as per CNN.
In a statement, Kim said that "true peace" can be trusted and that national dignity and sovereignty can be guaranteed by the use of a powerful self-defense force that is capable of overcoming any enemy. The North Korean leader said the first mission of his nuclear force was to "deter war."
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However, he noted that if any entity tried to "take away the fundamental interests of our country, our nuclear force will have no choice but to carry out its second mission." But he did not elaborate on what the second mission entailed.
According to Aljazeera, the country's 14th test launch this year comes less than a week before South Korea's newly-elected President Yoon Suk-Yeol, who is a conservative, is sworn into office. Last month, Pyongyang tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 amid increasing diplomatic pressure on its regional neighbors and the United States.
Rising International Tensions
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff urged North Korea to immediately halt its ballistic missile tests, which have been criticized as a clear breach of UN Security Council resolutions. They also called the launch a "grave threat" that undermines peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
In a text message, the chiefs of staff said that the South's military was constantly tracking and monitoring related movements to prepare against any potential launch. They added that it was maintaining a full readiness posture to counter any aggression.
Experts said that North Korea's unusually fast-paced weapons testing this year underscores its goals of advancing its missile programs and putting pressure on Washington for deepening the freeze in nuclear negotiations. Furthermore, there have been signs that the North is preparing for a nuclear test at its remote northeastern testing facility.
If conducted, the atomic bomb explosion by the country would be the seventh of its kind and the first since 2017. Kim's brinkmanship is believed to be designed to boost his weapons arsenal and have Seoul accept his country as a nuclear state. The launch comes as President-elect Yoon vowed to boost Seoul's missile capability and solidify its military alliance with the West, the Associated Press reported.
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