North Korea Launches Long-Range Ballistic Missile This Time

Continuous Launches on 17th and 18th... Considering Flight Distance, Busan Mijuri Ship Seems Targeted

North Korea carried out missile provocations for two consecutive days, following the 17th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 18th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, "North Korea launched one long-range ballistic missile into the East Sea from the Pyongyang area around 8:24 a.m., following the launch on the 17th."

The military is analyzing the specifications of the projectile, including its flight distance, altitude, and speed. North Korea conducted provocations for two consecutive days, launching one short-range ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area on the 17th. The missile fired by North Korea the previous day flew approximately 570 km before falling into the sea.

Considering the flight distance of the ballistic missile at that time, it was interpreted as targeting the US nuclear-powered submarine USS Missouri (SSN-780), which had docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base the day before. The straight-line distance from Pyongyang Sunan Airport to Busan is about 550 km.

There is a high possibility of additional provocations in the future. The launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is also possible. It was decided to convene the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party later this month, where it was announced that "plans to launch several additional reconnaissance satellites will be decided." If North Korea launches an ICBM, it will be the first ICBM provocation in five months. North Korea's most recent ICBM test launch was on July 12, when it claimed to have launched the Hwasong-18, a 'new solid-fuel ICBM.'

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