North Korea Resumes Military Provocations... Cheong NSC Holds Emergency Standing Committee Meeting (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 27th, as North Korea conducted a show of force by launching its eighth missile of the new year, the government held an emergency Standing Committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) to review the situation and discuss countermeasures.

The Blue House announced that the NSC emergency Standing Committee would be convened in the morning under the chairmanship of National Security Office Director Suh Hoon.

On the same day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff informed the press corps via text message that "North Korea launched an unidentified projectile in an eastward direction."

The military authorities promptly notify the media when a ballistic missile is detected, so it is highly likely that the projectile was a ballistic missile. Specific details are still under analysis.

North Korea had refrained from military provocations for nearly a month after launching its seventh missile of the new year on January 30. It is analyzed that the restraint was due to consideration of the atmosphere surrounding the Beijing Winter Olympics, held by its blood ally China. However, with the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics on the 20th, it appears that provocations have resumed.

Experts point out that there is a high possibility of continued provocations ahead of the presidential election on March 9, Kim Il-sung's birthday (Day of the Sun) on April 15, and the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises in April. Since Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, has already ordered a review of lifting the moratorium, attention is also focused on whether the moratorium (on nuclear tests and ICBM launches) will be broken.

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