North Korea fired this Sunday at least one short range ballistic missilehis fourth show of force in a week, at a time when seoul and washington perform joint military exercisesSouth Korean authorities reported.
“Our armed forces detected a short-range ballistic missile fired from the area of Tongchang-ri in the province of North Pyongyang at 11:05 local time towards the Sea of Japan,” said the Joint Chiefs of Staff South Korean.
“Our military maintains a fully-ready posture in close cooperation with the United States.”, he added.
United States and South Korea intensified their security cooperation in the face of growing military and nuclear threat from the Kim Jong-un regime, which in recent months has carried out numerous tests of proscribed weapons.
The joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul, called Freedom Shield, started on monday and will be extended for 11 days.
These are the most extensive joint maneuvers in five years between the two allied countries. The North Korean dictatorship describes such exercises as preparations for an invasion and warned of an “overwhelming” response.
He Japanese Ministry of Defense also detected the launch and noted that the missile landed in waters outside its exclusive economic space (EEZ), around 11:20 local time.
This new threat came days after Pyongyang tested its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) largest and most powerful, the Hwasong-17.
The European Union (EU) requested this Saturday the “full implementation” of sanctions against North Korea for his nuclear program after the releases missiles from Pyongyang this week.
“It is essential that all UN member states, especially members of the Security Council, ensure the full implementation of UN sanctions,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.
The head of European diplomacy called on the international community to respond “united and firm” way to the latest missile launchesto uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation architecture and “prevent North Korea from further escalating military tensions in the region.”
joint maneuvers
The propaganda agency of the North Korean regime KCNA rated the release of hwasong-17 as a response to the “frantic” exercises by the United States and South Korea.
It is the second time so far this year that North Korea has launched a ICBMs.
Analysts had previously warned that Pyongyang could use the joint exercises as a pretext for more missile launches.
The intercontinental missile tested last Thursday crashed about 250 kilometers from the island of Oshimawhich is located southwest of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
KCNA indicated this Saturday that the joint maneuvers of the allies are “approaching the unforgivable red line”.
The South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, traveled to Japan on Thursday to meet with the prime minister Fumio Kishida seeking to strengthen their relations in the face of growing North Korean aggressiveness.
It was the first summit between the rulers of Japan and South Korea in 12 years.
North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power last year, and leader Kim Jong-un recently called for an “exponential” increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons.
He also ordered the North Korean military to step up its preparation for a “real war.”
(With information from EFE and AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com