North Korea again launched three short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea late yesterday and also fired more than 80 artillery rounds.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military captured three short-range ballistic missiles launched from 21:35 to 49 last night from the Goksan area in North Hwanghae in the East Sea.
The missile had a flight range of approximately 490 kilometers, an altitude of 130 kilometers and a speed of approximately Mach 6.
Then, around 11:28 pm, North Korea fired about 80 artillery rounds from the area around Geumgang-gun, Gangwon-do, in the East Sea.
The South Korean military condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile and artillery fire, issued a stern warning and called for immediate arrest.
Ahead of these provocations, at around 8:38 pm, Park Jeong-cheon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which ranks first in North Korea’s military ranks, issued a statement accusing the ROK and the United States of extending the joint air drill as “a very dangerous and wrong choice”.
For this reason, North Korea’s late night missile launches and artillery provocations appear to be in opposition to the extension of joint ROK-US air exercises.
