South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected two missile launches on Sunday between 1:48 a.m. and 1:58 a.m. from the northeastern port city of Munchon. It added that the South Korean military has strengthened its surveillance posture and maintains its readiness in close coordination with the United States.
Japan’s Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino confirmed the launches, saying that Pyongyang’s launch Test activities “totally unacceptable” because it threatens regional and international peace and security.
Ino said the weapons could be submarine-launched ballistic missiles. “We continue to analyze the details of the missiles, including the possibility that they were launched from the sea,” Inoue said.
North Korea’s pursuit of a submarine-launched capability would be a troubling development for its rivals because such launches are difficult to detect in advance. North Korea is believed to have conducted its last submarine missile test in May.
The South Korean and Japanese militaries estimated that the missiles flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached maximum altitudes of 90 to 100 kilometers (56 to 60 miles) before falling into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has separately instructed officials to collect and analyze all the information they can get and speed up any updates about the tests for the public. His office said it is also striving to ensure the safety of all aircraft and ships in the waters around Japan while preparing for any emergency.
South Korea’s presidential office said National Security Director Kim Sung-han called an emergency security meeting on the missile launches, where the members reviewed South Korea’s defense readiness and discussed ways to enhance cooperation with the United States and Japan to counter North Korea’s growing threats.
Seoul has warned that Pyongyang’s successive provocations will increase its international isolation and further “regime instability” by deteriorating its economy and people’s livelihood.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the launches did not pose any direct threat to US personnel or territory or to its allies. But she said the launches highlight the “destabilizing effect” of North Korea’s illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. She said the US commitments to defend South Korea and Japan remain “resolute”.
The launch, the seventh round of weapons tests by North Korea in two weeks, came hours after the United States and South Korea concluded a two-day naval exercise off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.
The exercises included the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group, which returned to the region after North Korea launched a powerful missile over Japan last week in protest of the carrier group’s previous training with South Korea.
On Saturday, North Korea’s Defense Ministry warned that Reagan’s redeployment had caused “a substantially negative scattering” of regional security. The ministry described its recent missile tests as a “good response” to the sabotage military exercises between South Korea and the United States.
North Korea regards military exercises between the United States and South Korea as a rehearsal for the invasion and is particularly sensitive if such exercises involve US strategic assets such as an aircraft carrier. North Korea said it was forced to pursue a nuclear weapons program to counter US nuclear threats. US and South Korean officials have repeatedly said that they do not intend to attack North Korea.
North Korea has launched more than 40 ballistic and cruise missiles in more than 20 different events this year, using the deepening division in the UN Security Council over Russia’s war on Ukraine as a window to accelerate weapons development.
The record number of tests included last week’s launch of a nuclear-capable missile that flew over Japan for the first time in five years. It has been estimated to have covered about 4,500-4,600 kilometers (2,800 – 2,860 miles), a distance sufficient to reach the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean and beyond.
South Korean officials say Pyongyang may soon up its bet by conducting an ICBM or test nuclear detonation, following a traditional pattern of diplomatic crisis-making through weapons tests and threats before offering concession-extracting negotiations. There are also concerns about provocations along the land and sea borders of the two Koreas.
Sunday’s inauguration came on the eve of the 77th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party.
Earlier this year, North Korea tested another nuclear-capable ballistic missile that puts the mainland United States, South Korea and Japan in close proximity.
North Korea’s testing spree indicates that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has no intention of resuming diplomacy with the United States and wants to focus on expanding his arsenal. But some experts say Kim will ultimately aim to use his advanced nuclear program to extract greater external concessions, such as recognition of North Korea as a legitimate nuclear state, which Kim believes are necessary to lift crippling UN sanctions.
South Korean officials said recently that North Korea is also ready to test a liquid-fueled ICBM and a submarine-launched ballistic missile while maintaining its readiness to conduct its first underground nuclear test since 2017. South Korea contributed to this report.