Tensions resurfaced on the Korean peninsula due to North Korea’s weapons tests. The South Korean military said Pyongyang fired a multiple-rocket launcher over the weekend.
South Korea’s military said North Korea fired a multiple-rocket launcher Sunday, according to Reuters. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff released a statement saying that they believe Pyongyang fired multiple rocket launcher shots and that they are closely monitoring the situation but did not explain further.
Four shots were fired towards its west coast from an unidentified location in the South Pyongan province, South Korea’s Yonhap news outlet said.
This comes as North Korea has carried out multiple weapons tests so far this year. Both South Korea and the US have warned that Pyongyang may resume test-firing its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs for the first time since 2017 in the midst of stalled talks on denuclearization.
North Korea also appears to be preparing to launch a surveillance satellite, wth new construction spotted at its old nuclear test site.
South Korea approved plans for a $2.6 billion artillery interception system similar to the “Iron Dome” of Israel in 2021, which will protect the country against North Korea’s military arsenal. To note, half of South Korea’s population of 52 million live in Seoul and its surrounding areas, putting them within range of North Korea’s long-range guns and rocket launchers.
Despite North Korea’s tests hailed as successful by its local media, South Korea and Japan said one of Pyongyang’s more recent test launches was not successful. The suspected projectile appeared to be coming from a site near its airport.
“North Korea fired an unknown projectile around 9:30 today, but it is presumed that it failed immediately after launch,” said the Seoul Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.
“At this point, our assessment is that the projectile launch appears to have been botched as it failed to reach a certain altitude in its early boost phase,” said a JCS official, according to Yonhap.
Japanese media also reported that North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile, citing a defense official.
While two of the launches that were carried out this year were said to be tests for North Korea’s spy satellite, South Korea and the US say that the launches were related to a new intercontinental ballistic missile system.