North Fires Missile Again After Six Days... Why?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu, Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea's consecutive missile provocations from the beginning of the new year are evaluated to include not only the necessity of testing hypersonic missiles but also a defiant nature against the international community. North Korea usually launches missiles as part of joint strike exercises in February to March, the end of winter training.

The missile launch area on the 11th is known to be the Jagang-do region. Jagang-do was the site of the first test launch of the hypersonic missile 'Hwasong-8' in September last year. From this perspective, this missile launch can also be seen as part of the defense capability enhancement emphasized since last year. However, South Korea and the U.S. still judge that there are shortcomings in terms of technology. John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said at a briefing on the 10th (local time), "We are still assessing the details," and added, "We consider the missile launched by North Korea to be a ballistic missile." The Department of Defense also evaluated that "the range (700km) and lateral maneuvering (120km) performance of the hypersonic missile claimed by North Korea are exaggerated."

It should also be considered that this missile launch was decided amid strong voices condemning North Korea's provocations in the international community. On the 10th (local time), ambassadors from the U.S., Japan, the European Union, and the United Nations condemned North Korea's missile provocations and urged dialogue for denuclearization. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, issued a statement just before a closed meeting of the UN Security Council regarding North Korea's ballistic missile launch, saying, "North Korea's continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction threatens international peace and security."

Regarding the series of situations, Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies, evaluated, "Outwardly, they emphasize strengthening their own defense capabilities, but it also contains an indirect message pressuring the South Korea-U.S. response to their 'double standards' demands."

From this point of view, there is also a possibility that North Korea's provocations will continue consecutively for the time being.

Hong Min, research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "In the past, they launched missiles as a response while blaming the U.S. or South Korea, but now it seems they are quietly taking a stance to strengthen their defense capabilities as a customary formality." Shin Jong-woo, senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, also said, "North Korea appears to have gained some confidence in hypersonic missiles and is likely to conduct additional test launches to complete the technology."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.