North Korea fires two ballistic missiles on South Korea
Late on Monday, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, according to reports from South Korea’s military. This occurred shortly after a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine docked at a naval base in the South.
Japan’s defense ministry also confirmed the missile launch and stated that both missiles landed beyond its exclusive economic zone.
These ballistic launches have taken place during a period of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. To counter North Korea’s weapons program, both South Korea and the United States have been increasing their military readiness by deploying U.S. strategic military assets.
North Korea responded with anger, expressing that such a deployment could be seen as justification for using nuclear weapons. The United States, in response to the missile launches, stated that it is closely consulting with its allies regarding the situation, considering the actions as destabilizing.
However, the U.S. military also reassured that the launches did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or its allies, as stated in a released statement on Monday.
According to the South Korean navy, earlier on Monday, a nuclear-powered U.S. submarine arrived at a naval base on South Korea’s southern island of Jeju. The purpose of its arrival was to load military supplies while on an unspecified operational mission.
Over the weekend, North Korea fired a series of cruise missiles into the sea off its west coast. In the previous week, North Korea had conducted ballistic missile tests in response to the presence of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine at a South Korean port. This marked the first time such a submarine had visited South Korea since the 1980s.
Reporting on this matter was done by Jack Kim in Seoul, Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo, and Kanishka Singh in Washington. The editing of the report was handled by Alison Williams, Andrew Heavens, and Chris Reese.
