Military Authorities: North Korean Missile is a Medium-Range Ballistic Missile

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The military authorities announced on the 19th that North Korea launched a carrier equipped with a 'satellite test item' the previous day, but maintained the initial assessment that it was a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM).

At a regular briefing that day, Kim Jun-rak, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to a question about how they evaluate the North Korean launch vehicle by saying, "Based on detection parameters, the assessment by South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies that what North Korea launched yesterday is a medium-range ballistic missile remains unchanged." He added, "The South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies are comprehensively analyzing recent trends related to North Korea's missile development."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched two MRBMs from the Dongchang-ri area in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, from around 11:13 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. the previous day. However, North Korea publicly reported that it conducted an "important final stage test for reconnaissance satellite development," launching a carrier (rocket) equipped with a satellite test item and even released photos of the launch.

Regarding this launch, the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not disclose detailed parameters except for "an altitude of 500 km" and "two medium-range ballistic missiles" at the time of the announcement. This marks a change from the previous practice of disclosing detailed information such as maximum speed and flight distance.

In response, Spokesperson Kim explained, "It is necessary to protect our intelligence assets, and disclosing all our military information could benefit the enemy and the information we detect and disclose could be used for deception by North Korea."

North Korea typically does not issue separate reports or announcements on the day of missile launches but reveals the launch facts, purpose, and launch vehicle parameters the following day through outlets such as the Korean Central News Agency.

The military suspects that if South Korea discloses parameters detected on the day of the North Korean missile launch, North Korea may cause confusion to South Korean and U.S. authorities by announcing different information the next day, aiming to cast doubt on the military's detection capabilities.

However, considering that the military has promptly disclosed basic parameters such as launch facts, speed, distance, and altitude related to North Korean ballistic missiles, there are criticisms that the military's stance on information disclosure has shifted to a more restrictive approach since the new government took office.

Japan, which falls within the range of North Korean missiles, discloses speed, distance, and altitude through the Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces websites whenever North Korean missile launch information is detected. Unlike South Korea, Japan disclosed that the flight distance was 500 km this time. Although there are ongoing criticisms that the parameters detected by Japan, which is farther from North Korea than South Korea, may be somewhat inaccurate, the Japanese government maintains a policy of disclosing detection information for the sake of information transparency and public protection, drawing criticism in contrast to the South Korean military.

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