North Fires Single-Stage Ballistic Missile... Analyzing ICBM and Others

Suspected Medium- to Long-Range Ballistic Missile

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea on the 3rd. The missile underwent stage separation, with the propulsion unit and warhead separating, leading the military to classify it as a medium- to long-range missile or above. This marks the 19th missile launch since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are analyzing parameters such as range, altitude, and speed to determine the possibility of it being an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). On the previous day, North Korea conducted four missile launches over a 10-hour period, firing approximately 25 missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea for the first time since the division of the Korean Peninsula, continuing provocations for two consecutive days.

On the previous day, around 6:51 a.m., North Korea launched four SRBMs into the West Sea, followed by three SRBMs?including one that crossed the NLL into the East Sea?at 8:51 a.m., about ten various missiles into the East and West Seas at 9:12 a.m., and six various missiles into the East and West Seas from 4:30 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.

The missile that crossed the NLL was launched from Wonsan, Gangwon Province, heading toward Ulleungdo, and landed 26 km south of the NLL, 57 km east of Sokcho, and 167 km northwest of Ulleungdo. An air raid alert was also issued for Ulleungdo.

In addition to missile launches, North Korea fired about 100 artillery rounds around 1:27 p.m. near Goseong County, Gangwon Province, into the buffer zone north of the East Sea NLL, violating the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement twice along with the ballistic missile landing south of the NLL.

North Korea is presumed to have used the large-scale joint air exercise 'Vigilant Storm,' conducted by South Korea and the U.S. over five days starting on the 31st of last month, as a pretext for these provocations. Following North Korea's unprecedented ballistic missile provocations south of the NLL and South Korea's self-defense responses, the launch of medium- to long-range ballistic missiles by North Korea has escalated military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the highest level.

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