North Korea launched two ballistic missiles toward the country’s eastern waters. Both the missiles were short-range. This launch came after the redeployment of a carrier by the USA. The USA redeployed the aircraft carrier around the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s launch of a missile toward Japan. The missile was nuclear-capable.
Kim Jong Un’s strategy
These missile launches show that Kim Jong Un wants to keep testing weapons and boost his nuclear weaponry. Some experts think that Kim is trying to win recognition from the USA as a nuclear state, which may lift international sanctions on North Korea. But there is no sign of happening that, as of now. Instead, after North Korea’s missile launch, a group of the US navy trained to strike aircraft carriers moved further into Korean Peninsula.
What South Korea Says
South Korean officials stated that the latest ballistic missiles landed in a space between Japan and Korean Peninsula. One missile flew two hundred and seventeen miles to reach an altitude of fifty miles, and another flew 497 miles and reached thirty-seven miles. It was the sixth missile launch by North Korea in twelve days only, and the 24th missile launch in the current year. The number of cruise and ballistic missiles launched this year has become the highest since Kim Jong Un took the chair in 2012.
After the USA redeployed the carrier and shifted the strike group to the Sea of Japan, South Korea assumed that Pyongyang would face a harsh response this time. The country officials said they had kept intense surveillance on North Korea, coordinating closely with the USA.
North Korea’s Response
The Foreign Ministry of North Korea also responded to the US actions. It said that the US is posing severe threats to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.
