North Korea fired two ballistic missiles from Pyongyang airport, says Seoul

North Korea launched two suspected short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on Monday from its airport in the capital Pyongyang, the South Korean army said, in the fourth test recorded this month to demonstrate the expansion of the arsenal. of missiles in the country.

Japan also recorded the launch, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirozaku Matsuno criticizing it as a threat to peace and security, while China urged all parties to preserve stability.

“We urge all relevant parties to keep in mind the overall peace and stability on the peninsula,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing in Beijing when asked about the alleged launch.

North Korea had already carried out three other missile tests in less than two weeks before Monday, an unusually rapid series of launches. The country’s government said two of them involved “hypersonic missiles” capable of reaching high speeds and which can be maneuvered after launch, while the test last Friday involved a pair of short-range ballistic missiles fired from railroad cars. train.

Monday’s launch appeared to involve two SRBMs fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan Airfield, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

North Korea used the airport for test launches of the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) in 2017, with leader Kim Jong Un present to watch the test.

The missiles fired on Monday traveled about 380 km at a maximum altitude of 42 km, the JCS said in a statement.

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the missiles appeared to have landed in the ocean off North Korea’s east coast, and it was evident that North Korea was using the frequent launches to improve its missile technology.

“North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches are a serious problem for the international community, including Japan,” Kishi told reporters, pointing out that the tests are in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. ), which prohibit North Korea from developing any ballistic missiles.

The US Military Command in the Indo-Pacific region said the launch did not pose an immediate threat to the United States and its allies, but that “these missile launches underscore the destabilizing impact of North Korea’s illicit weapons program.”

The pace of testing suggests North Korea has enough missiles that it is comfortable using them in tests, training and demonstrations, and they bolster the credibility of deterrence by emphasizing the volume of its missile force, Mason Richey said. , professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

North Korea has not tested its long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or nuclear weapons since 2017, but after talks on denuclearization stalled in 2019, the country began testing a new series of SRBM projects.