Yoon on North Korea's ICBM Provocation: "Implementing Strengthened Extended Deterrence... Pursuing Strong International Sanctions" (Comprehensive)

North Korea's ICBM Provocation at 10:15 AM on the 18th... NSC Standing Committee Meeting Chaired by National Security Office Director

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 18th ordered the strengthening of the implementation of extended deterrence against North Korea and the promotion of strong sanctions by the international community in response to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.

President Yoon gave these instructions during an emergency National Security Council (NSC) Standing Committee meeting chaired by Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office. On the same day, after concluding the Korea-Spain summit, President Yoon attended just before the joint press conference to receive a report on the situation and convey countermeasures.

On that day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that at around 10:15 a.m., they detected one long-range ballistic missile (ICBM) launched from the Sunan area of Pyongyang toward the East Sea. The ICBM's flight distance was approximately 1,000 km, altitude about 6,100 km, and speed about Mach 22 (22 times the speed of sound). This marks the eighth ICBM launch by North Korea this year. North Korea also claimed a successful test launch of the ICBM 'Hwasong-15' and 'Hwasong-17' from the Sunan area of Pyongyang toward the East Sea on March 24. Military authorities are currently analyzing whether the ICBM launched this time is a 'Hwasong-15' or 'Hwasong-17.'

At the meeting, President Yoon said, "Strengthen the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture, actively implement the agreed measures to enhance the execution of extended deterrence between South Korea and the U.S., and strengthen ROK-U.S.-Japan security cooperation," adding, "Together with the U.S. and the international community, promote strong condemnation and sanctions against North Korea, including responses through the United Nations Security Council."

Regarding North Korea's repeated missile provocations, the Presidential Office plans to respond strictly based on cooperation with the international community. Earlier, at the joint press conference of the Korea-Spain summit, President Yoon emphasized, "We strongly condemned North Korea's unprecedented frequency and intensity of ballistic missile launches recently," and added, "Just this morning, they launched an ICBM. Prime Minister S?nchez and I agreed to closely cooperate to lead a unified response from the international community."

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