New North Korean snub. Pyongyang fired a sea-to-surface ballistic missile on Saturday, according to information from the South Korean army staff. A shooting carried out a few hours after the warning of the United States on the possibility of a resumption of nuclear tests by Pyongyang.
“North Korea has fired at least one projectile towards the East Sea”, also called the Sea of Japan, the South Korean general staff announced on Saturday. “Our soldiers detected around 2:07 p.m. (Editor’s note07:07 Paris time) that a short-range ballistic missile suspected to be an SLBM was fired from the sea off Sinpo, South Hamgyong”.
This launch comes three days after the firing of a missile, while warnings about the possibility of a resumption of nuclear tests from Pyongyang are increasing. The firing is the 15th show of force for the nuclear-armed country this year.
A message to the future new South Korean president
Tokyo seems to confirm Seoul’s information. According to the Japanese Coast Guard, citing their Ministry of Defense, Pyongyang launched an object “likely to be a ballistic missile”.
On Wednesday, North Korea already launched what its two neighboring countries described as a ballistic missile, but North Korean state media, which usually reports on the weapons tests, did not report on it.
Despite harsh international sanctions on its weapons program, North Korea has sharply stepped up its testing and rejected any calls for dialogue from the United States. This new shooting comes before the entry into office on Tuesday of the new South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol, favorable to the balance of power with the North.