North Korea Fires Multiple Missiles Toward East Sea in Fourth Weapons Launch in a Month
South Korea's military said North Korea fired multiple missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, its fourth weapons launch in a month, as Pyongyang told Washington to drop what it calls a hostile policy.
North Korea fired multiple missiles on Wednesday toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s defense ministry said, in Pyongyang’s fourth weapons launch in a month. South Korea’s military detected the missiles after they were fired from the Sondok area, on North Korea’s eastern coast.
Seoul and Washington were analyzing the launch and remained ready to respond to any further provocation, the ministry said. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff used the word “missiles” rather than “ballistic missiles” and said military authorities had not ruled out close-range ballistic missiles with a range of less than 300 kilometers, surface-to-air interceptor missiles, or cruise missiles.
Statements from Pyongyang
Hours before the announcement, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency that the United States must abandon what she called its hostile policy toward Pyongyang. She said North Korea had no need to sit face to face with people she described as unreliable and hostile, and she said dialogue was an option for peace but did not by itself equal North Korea’s national interests.
Kim Yo Jong also repeated Pyongyang’s denial that it was behind the hacking of crypto exchange Binance, after the FBI accused North Korea of carrying out the theft. Her statement on Tuesday had centered on that denial, while her Wednesday statement widened the criticism to Washington’s policy on denuclearization, human rights, cyber issues, sanctions, and military policy, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Naval visit and earlier tests
North Korean media also reported on Wednesday that Kim Jong Un visited the Nampho Shipyard on November 2 to inspect a new large warship under construction. According to the Korean Central News Agency, he said it was necessary to build up surface and underwater combat power to defend national sovereignty at sea.
North Korea has carried out a series of weapons tests this year, including a missile that flew more than 900 kilometers and tests of hypersonic missiles, according to Reuters. Lee Choon-geun, a missile expert at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said the frequent tests suggest Pyongyang may be nearing preparations for mass production, and he said the missiles could be for export to Russia.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
