An “unknown type” rocket was launched by North Korea from the Sunan region, where the North Korean capital’s international airport is located, according to the South Korean national news agency Yonhap, citing the country’s national defense headquarters. But the launch failed, according to Seoul.
A Japanese Defense Ministry official said it was a ballistic missile test, according to the Kyodo news agency and the public television network NHK.
North Korea made its tenth test today rocket since the beginning of the year, however, the launch apparently failed, according to Seoul.
The US Pentagon condemned the test and demanded that Pyongyang refrain from further destabilizing actions.
The volume escalates
Pyongyang has been escalating since the beginning of the year. Today was the tenth rocket launch since January, according to the APE-BPE, citing the DPA, AFP and Reuters. In Seoul it became clear a few days ago that North Korea threatens to resume intercontinental ballistic missile tests soon (ICBMs), lifting the moratorium it had unilaterally declared in 2017.
On Friday, in a joint statement, the US and the South Korea North Korea has been accused of using the largest intercontinental ballistic missile it has ever tested, the Hwasong-17, in two recent launches (February 27th, March 5th) under the pretext of preparing to launch “reconnaissance satellites”.
The Hwasong-17 missile system first appeared during a military parade in Pyongyang in 2020. It reappeared at a defense equipment show in October 2021. It had never been tested, at least until recent launches.
UN Security Council resolutions have theoretically banned Pyongyang, a self-proclaimed nuclear power, from launching ballistic missiles.
This week, the United States announced that it had strengthened its missile defense systems in South Korea and conducted air exercises in the Yellow Sea, where the aircraft carrier’s impact force is sailing.
US sanctions
North Korea has been facing heavy international sanctions since 2006 over its missile and nuclear weapons development programs. However The United States says the latest tests are a “very serious escalation” and will consider imposing new sanctions in response.
Analysts say that with Russia unlikely to agree to new sanctions on North Korea in the wake of the war in Ukraine, Pyongyang seems to have concluded that this is the right time to act.
The country will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un and the country’s founder, in April, and satellite images indicate it is preparing for a major military parade.
Any new ICBM launches would be the first major challenge for South Korean President-elect Conservative Yoon Sok-gel, who has pledged in the run-up to a much tougher line against North Korea than his predecessor.
Mr Yoon does not rule out the resumption of nuclear denuclearization talks, which have stalled since 2019, but his harsh rhetoric is seen as drastically reducing the scope for meaningful dialogue.
*external photo archive
Source: News Beast
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