North Korea launched, Monday, an unidentified ballistic missile, the second in less than 48 hours, and it comes the day after joint exercises between the armies of the United States and South Korea, according to the agency “Agence France Presse” of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, South Korea.
“North Korea launched, on Monday, an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea,” which is also called the Sea of Japan, the official Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean military as saying.
North Korea has a long history of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles, the latest of which was on Saturday, February 18, with the launch of the Hwasong-15 missile. Pyongyang announced that this test was aimed at further strengthening its “deadly” nuclear attack capability against its rivals, according to another report by “North Korea”. AFP”.
The launch was quickly condemned by South Korea, the United States and Japan, which said it fell in their exclusive economic zone, as well as the G7 nations and the European Union.
And the Japanese government announced that the missile flew for 66 minutes and could reach a distance of 14 thousand kilometers, which means that it is capable of hitting anywhere in the mainland of the United States, according to “Agence France Presse”.
This test is North Korea’s first missile launch since January 1, and indicates that its leader Kim Jong Un is taking advantage of the military maneuvers of his rivals as an opportunity to expand his country’s nuclear capacity in order to enhance its influence in future dealings with the United States, according to the Associated Press.
In response, the army in South Korea announced the next day, Sunday, February 19, to conduct joint air exercises with the United States that included a US strategic bomber, while Pyongyang threatened to take additional strong steps in response to the planned military exercises between the United States and South Korea, according to the report. “AFP”.
The issue of North Korea’s possession of a nuclear-armed ICBM remains a source of external debate, with some experts saying North Korea has not mastered the technology to protect the warheads from the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry. Pyongyang claims that it has already obtained such technology, according to “Agence France Presse”.
