North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles in the eastern waters on Wednesday, a day before US Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to visit South Korea. The move is seen as a show of aggression and deepens North Korea's international isolation.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles in the eastern waters on Wednesday, a day before US Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to visit South Korea. The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement that a North Korean missile took off Wednesday afternoon from the metropolitan area and is heading for waters off the east coast. Japan's Senior Defense Minister Toshiro Ino said the Japanese military had also spotted the launches and said the weapons were flying on irregular trajectories.
"It is unacceptable for North Korea to launch missiles repeatedly amid (Russia's) aggression against Ukraine," Ino said. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea's provocations would only deepen its international isolation and urged South Korea and the United States to step up deterrence.
The launch follows a missile test by North Korea earlier this week. Harris is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Thursday and meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol and others. She also plans to visit the tense border with North Korea, where U.S. officials said the strength of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and U.S. commitment to "stand by" with South Korea in the face of any North Korea threat would be emphasized.
In recent years, North Korea has added Iskandar missiles and other solid-fuel weapons to its arsenal. Some experts say the weapon is designed to carry a nuclear warhead on the battlefield and to counter stronger conventional forces from South Korea and the United States. As North Korea ramps up missile testing activity at a record pace, the international community is closely monitoring the situation and calling for de-escalation.