North Korea: South Korea and Japan have stated that North Korea has fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast. The launch came hours after a nuclear-powered United States submarine arrived at a naval base in South Korea.
“In its third round of launches since last week, North Korea fired the missiles consecutively from an area near its capital, Pyongyang. Both missiles travelled about 400 kilometres (248 miles) before landing in waters off the Korean Peninsula’s eastern coast,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea’s missile launches are a “grave provocation” that threatens regional peace and stability. Japan’s defence ministry also reported the launch of what it said could be a ballistic missile by North Korea.
The launches came hours after South Korea’s navy said a nuclear-propelled US submarine, the USS Annapolis, had arrived at a port on Jeju Island. The Annapolis, whose main mission is to destroy enemy ships and submarines, is powered by a nuclear reactor but is armed with conventional weapons.
Annapolis’s visit came days after the USS Kentucky became the first US nuclear-armed submarine to come to South Korea since the 1980s.
North Korea reacted angrily to Kentucky’s arrival, warning that such deployments could meet the criteria for its use of nuclear weapons. In addition, they carried out test launches of both ballistic and cruise missiles to demonstrate their capability to launch nuclear attacks on South Korea and US naval ships.
Furthermore, the US-led United Nations Command noted that it has started “a conversation” with North Korea about an American soldier who ran into North Korea last week across one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders.
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