North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Ahead of US-South Korea Drills
Al Jazeera Staff
North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea east of the peninsula on August 12, days before the US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. Analysts see the launch as a warning against the drills, which Pyongyang denounces as invasion rehearsals. This is North Korea's second missile test in under a week, amid heightened regional tensions.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on the morning of August 12, just days before the United States and South Korea begin their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises in the region.
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile was fired from the Wonsan area, which includes a port city and naval base in Kangwon Province, at approximately 6 a.m. local time (21:00 GMT). The missile flew more than 700 kilometers before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Japanese officials also confirmed the launch and stated that the missile fell outside the country's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's National Security Office convened an emergency meeting, expressing concern over North Korea's consecutive ballistic missile launches and urging Pyongyang to cease provocative actions that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.
This is North Korea's second missile launch in less than a week, following a ballistic missile fired from the same area on August 6, which Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo all confirmed detecting.
North Korea has not immediately commented on the latest launch. However, analysts suggest the timing indicates the move is intended as a warning ahead of the US-South Korea joint drills.
North Korea has previously condemned the annual Washington-Seoul exercises, calling them rehearsal for an invasion. Meanwhile, the US and South Korea maintain that the drills are purely defensive, aimed at preparing their forces against potential attacks from Pyongyang.
Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University in South Korea, told AFP that Pyongyang has "never let" a US-South Korea joint exercise pass without a response. The latest launch can be seen as a message showing that North Korea is closely monitoring the upcoming drills and may take further action if deemed necessary.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will take place in South Korea from August 17 to 27, involving approximately 18,000 South Korean troops and personnel from the roughly 28,500 US forces stationed in South Korea.
The US and South Korea say the drills are aimed at countering North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities. This year, the exercises also take into account the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, following reports that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Moscow in the war in Ukraine.
According to South Korea, this is North Korea's 11th suspected ballistic missile launch this year. Multiple UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from conducting ballistic missile launches.
The latest launch comes amid heightened regional tensions. South Korea and Japan have condemned the launch, while Seoul has declared readiness to respond to any provocations together with the United States.
Earlier, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned that Pyongyang would exercise "additional military options" after Japan test-fired a US-made Tomahawk cruise missile.
Also this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of using North Korean ballistic missiles in an attack that killed 12 workers at a steel plant in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
