Pyongyang has been steadily accelerating the pace of weapons testing in recent weeks. Analysts believe the recent rise in tests is because Seoul plans to construct a nuclear-powered submarine in the US.
North Korea fired a suspected short-range ballistic missile towards the eastern waters on Friday, South Korea’s Military said, as talks between Pyongang, Seoul and Washington remain stalled.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 700 Kilometers (434 miles) cross-country after being fired from an inland area around the western county of Taekwan.
They added South Korean and US intelligence agencies had monitored the launch preparations in advance and were now studying details.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also told reporters that a missile, possibly ballistic, is believed to have landed in waters right outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
North Korea did not immediately confirm the launch, which comes after two weeks of missile launches that followed US President Donald Trump renewing efforts to for talks with Pyongyang.
Germany has been quick to condemn the launch, saying it threatened regional and global stability.
“We urge the DPRK to immediately stop the unlawful development, test & transfer of ballistic missiles, as requested by multiple UNSC Resolutions,” the German Foreign Office wrote in a social media post.
North Korea combating a ‘source of anxiety’?
North Korea has been steadily accelerating the pace of weapons testing in recent weeks. This includes the firing of purported hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles last month which it said expanded its nuclear capabilities.
“From North Korea’s perspective, the possibility of sudden attacks from the East Sea will be a source of anxiety,” Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP.
“If South Korea acquires a nuclear-powered submarine, they would be able to enter North Korean waters and preemptively monitor or intercept weapons such as submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).”
Trump last week announced that South Korea would build a nuclear-powered submarine in the US where the technology is a highly-guarded secret.
Suspended talks
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in meeting North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
There was a willingness on the US President’s part to meet when he visited South Korea on the sidelines of a summit but no such meeting took place.
North Korea has previously said that it would resume talks with the US if Washington stopped asking Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
On Thursday, North Korea’s foreign ministry said Trump’s Government was “antagonizing” it by imposing sanctions on its officials and institutions over allegations of money laundering.
