North Korea fires flurry of short-range ballistic missiles
North Korea launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions. (AP pic)
SEOUL : North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles today, South Korea's military said, around a week after leader Kim Jong Un tested a new weapons system for his latest warship.
Seoul's military said it had 'detected several projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles', the joint chiefs of staff said.
The missiles were 'fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea into the East Sea at around 8.10am today', they added, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
The launch, the nuclear-armed North's first missile test since March, came about a week after Kim oversaw the test-firing of a new warship weapons system.
Pyongyang unveiled the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel named Choe Hyon last month.
North Korea claims the vessel was equipped with the 'most powerful weapons', and that it would 'enter into operation early next year'.
Some analysts have said the ship could be equipped with short-range tactical nuclear missiles – although North Korea has not proven it has the ability to miniaturise its nukes.
The South Korean military has said the destroyer could have been developed with Russian help – possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Kyiv.
Russia and North Korea also recently announced that they had started building the first road bridge linking the two neighbours.
North Korea launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions.
Experts have long warned that the nuclear-armed North may be testing weapons for export to Russia for use against Ukraine.
Japan's defence ministry said there was no impact on Japan from the North Korean missile, according to public broadcaster NHK.
South Korea's military said in early March that the North fired 'multiple unidentified ballistic missiles', the same day Seoul and Washington began a major annual joint military drill known as Freedom Shield.
Pyongyang also carried out a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea in late February, which it said showed off 'counter-attack capabilities'.
Washington – Seoul's key security ally – has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North.
Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an 'irreversible' nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.
The two Koreas are technically still at war as the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
With relations souring, the North last year blew up roads and railways connecting it to the South and fortified areas of the border with more mines.
In early April, South Korea's military said its troops fired warning shots when around 10 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border that divides the peninsula.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Asian stocks track Wall Street up after jobs data, Seoul surges on Lee win
The Seoul stock market rallied more than 2% after Lee Jae-myung won South Korea's snap presidential election. (EPA Images pic) HONG KONG : Asian shares extended a global rise today, following data indicating the US economy remained resilient, with South Korean equities and the won standing out as the election of a new president ended months of political paralysis. Speculation that US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will speak this week stoked optimism for a soothing of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. However, Trump's ramped-up tariffs on aluminium and steel imports – announced Friday – are due to kick in later today, highlighting the uncertainty caused by the White House's off-the-cuff policies. Traders in Asia took the baton from a positive Wall Street, where all three main indexes were lifted by data showing US job openings unexpectedly rose in April, calming worries about the impact of Trump's tariff blitz on the world's number one economy. The reading came ahead of crucial non-farm payrolls figures Friday, which are closely followed by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) as it maps monetary policy in light of weak growth and fears of tariff-fuelled inflation. 'Growth is sputtering, the second half looks increasingly cloudy, and everyone knows the Fed's rate-cut cavalry will ride in eventually. 'It's already priced, already scripted – no one's shocked by the plot twist unless, of course, inflation proves stickier than expected,' said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. 'But what's genuinely keeping equities ticking higher is the soft hum of hope – that US-China tensions could thaw into something warmer than their current frosty detente,' Innes said. He added that the risk of tariffs, 'once a terrifying monster, now looks more like a toothless terrier's wag, comforting investors enough to hold their ground despite the global economy's chills'. Traders are awaiting further developments on the China-US front after White House officials said the two nations' leaders could talk this week, even after Trump accused Beijing of violating last month's detente that slashed tit-for-tat tariffs. News that eurozone inflation had eased in May to its lowest level in eight months – and slipped back below the European Central Bank's 2% target – added to the upbeat mood. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta all rose. Seoul rallied more than 2% – pushing into a bull market after rising more than 20% from its recent low-as Lee Jae-myung won South Korea's snap presidential election. The won gained around 0.3%. The poll was called after the impeachment of predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief martial law attempt and ended six months of political turmoil in the country. It has also raised hopes that Lee will introduce fresh measures to boost the export-dependent economy, which faces a hefty hit from Trump's tariffs, particularly the huge levies on steel and aluminium. In his inauguration speech today, the new president warned protectionism posed a threat to the country's 'survival'. On the campaign trail, Lee said Seoul needed to start tariff negotiations with Washington 'immediately' but also stressed there was no need to 'rush' a deal.
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Russia's Shoigu meets Kim Jong Un in North Korea
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday in Pyongyang, the Russian embassy in North Korea said on Facebook. They discussed cooperation in various areas, as well as the situation in Ukraine and on the Korean Peninsula, it added. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
White House calls South Korea election ‘fair'
US secretary of state Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee Jae-myung and, like the White House, spoke of the two countries' 'ironclad' alliance. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON : The White House said yesterday that South Korea's election, which saw liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung win the presidency, was fair, but it expressed concern about Chinese interference. 'The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the US remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world,' a White House official said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment made at an earlier White House briefing. 'ROK' refers to the Republic of Korea. The official did not elaborate on the reference to alleged Chinese interference or connect it directly to the South Korean election. However, US President Donald Trump's right-wing allies have taken aim at Lee, who has spoken of the need to balance Seoul's relations with China and the US. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has jockeyed her way up from online agitator to self-appointed Trump adviser, posted 'RIP South Korea' on X yesterday after Lee's victory became clear. 'The communists have taken over Korea and won the presidential election today,' she wrote. 'This is terrible,' she added. Loomer has shown herself to be highly influential: Several high-ranking White House officials were fired this year after she presented Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. US secretary of state Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House, spoke about the two countries' 'ironclad' alliance. He made no mention of concerns about China. 'The US and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defense Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties. 'We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges,' Rubio said. Rubio also said the US would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, 'to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.' China policies under scrutiny As South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier this year, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea's elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster. His backers adopted 'Stop the Steal' slogans and expressed hopes that Trump would intervene to help, but that never came. 'Most of the 'election fraud' allegations I've seen reek of conspiracy theories and paranoia,' said Evans Revere, former US deputy ambassador for East Asian Affairs. 'It's unfortunate that a White House spokesman would allude to these, especially since Lee's margin of victory was substantial and his conservative opponent quickly and unhesitatingly conceded his loss,' Revere said. Last week, without providing evidence, Trump ally Mike Flynn, a retired general who briefly served as the president's national security adviser during his first term, referred in a post on X to 'signs of fraud' in the South Korea election, and said a fraudulent outcome would only benefit the Chinese Communist Party. Another Trump ally, Steve Bannon, explored a similar theme of Chinese election interference on his WarRoom channel last week. 'Lee's past comments about China, including his statement that a conflict over Taiwan would have nothing to do with South Korea, have provided fodder for those in the US government inclined to mistrust him,' said Revere. His policy approach on China, Taiwan, Russia, Japan, and alliance- and trade-related concerns will be under close scrutiny in Washington and could lead to 'differences' between the two allies. 'In that context, the White House spokesman's comments could have been intended as a cautionary message to Korea's new president,' he added.
