North Korea has tested a ballistic missile for the second time in a week. The attempt took place just a few days before the presidential election in South Korea – and at the same time as the opening of the People’s Congress in China.
North Korea has again fired at least one suspected ballistic missile, according to its neighbors South Korea and Japan. After the launch on Saturday morning (local time) near the capital Pyongyang, the rocket flew towards the open sea in the east, said the South Korean armed forces’ general staff.
Second test within a week
UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing such missiles, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead. The country had already tested several missiles this year, including a medium-range missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons, most recently last Sunday. How far the missile flew in the most recent test was initially unclear. The missile fell outside Japan’s “exclusive economic zone” in the Sea of Japan (Korean: East Sea), as reported by the Kyodo news agency, citing the government in Tokyo. In South Korea, as is usual in such cases, the National Security Council met to discuss the situation.
Explosive timing
The new rocket launch by the self-declared nuclear power North Korea took place just four days before the presidential election in South Korea. After a series of missile tests in January, the government in Seoul accused the isolated neighboring country of wanting to stoke new tensions on the Korean peninsula. South Korea fears that North Korea could soon again test an ICBM that could potentially reach the United States. The country is developing ballistic missiles of different ranges that can carry a nuclear warhead. In addition, the current test overshadowed the start of this year’s plenary session of the Chinese People’s Congress in Beijing. The fact that North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un chose the start of the session in Beijing for his new military provocation is likely to cause irritation in the big neighbor China.
Is North Korea taking advantage of the Ukraine war?
Experts have been speculating for a long time that North Korea could also use the Ukraine war to put more pressure on the United States to submit concrete proposals for new negotiations. The US government’s talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program have been at a standstill for three years.
