North Korea Fires Unknown Projectile into East Sea... Another Show of Force After Three Days (Summary)

by Yang Nakgyu

Published 07 May.2022 14:48(KST)

The North Korean monthly pictorial for external publicity, "Chosun," featured a special pictorial article with parade photos commemorating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army in its 2022 special issue.

On the 7th, three days before President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration, North Korea once again conducted a show of force.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced to the press corps that North Korea launched a projectile of an unidentified type into the East Sea that afternoon.

The military authorities are analyzing the missile's range and altitude, and it is presumed to be a ballistic missile.

The military and intelligence agencies have been closely monitoring the recent possibility of North Korea launching submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

Typically, if the initial detected trajectory of a projectile is judged to be a ballistic missile of short-range class or higher, the military notifies the media within minutes.

This launch marks the 15th show of force this year and comes three days after North Korea fired one ballistic missile, presumed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), from the Sunan area in Pyongyang into the East Sea at 12:03 PM on the 4th.

With speculation that the 7th nuclear test could take place as early as the end of this month, this is interpreted as North Korea beginning strategic provocations targeting the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the upcoming South Korea-US summit.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government also urgently reported the news of North Korea's projectile launch.

Kyodo News reported that Japan's Ministry of Defense announced that North Korea launched an object that could possibly be a ballistic missile on this day.