North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Sunday morning, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles were detected around 7:50 a.m. from North Korea’s capital region and fired in the direction of the country’s eastern coastline. Japan’s defense ministry also confirmed the suspected launches, though no damages have been reported.
The launches came just hours before South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung departed for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Why It Matters
The missile launches represent North Korea’s continued advancement of its weapons program at a diplomatically sensitive time. The demonstration signals Pyongyang’s intentions ahead of its first Workers’ Party congress in five years, where observers expect the regime to potentially announce new policies regarding relations with the United States and long-stalled nuclear negotiations. The timing also complicates South Korea’s diplomatic efforts with China to promote regional stability.
What To Know
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has strengthened its surveillance operations and is coordinating closely with U.S. and Japanese counterparts to monitor the situation. While specific details about the missiles’ flight distance and specifications were not immediately released, the launch follows a pattern of escalating weapons testing by North Korea.
On December 28, North Korea fired a pair of long-range strategic cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea, with Kim Jong Un overseeing the exercise. According to state-run Korean Central News Agency, the missiles flew for approximately 10,200 seconds before striking their targets. Kim emphasized the need to test the country’s nuclear deterrent amid what he described as growing threats to its security.
The cruise missile test followed a December 24 long-range missile launch and Kim’s December 25 visit to the construction site of North Korea’s first nuclear-powered submarine. In recent years, Pyongyang has tested increasingly advanced weapons, including solid-fueled missiles, hypersonic reentry vehicles, nuclear-capable warheads, and intercontinental ballistic missiles with extended range.
Experts suggest the weapons demonstrations are designed to showcase defense achievements before the upcoming Workers’ Party congress. South Korea’s intelligence service estimates the congress will likely occur in January or February. Kim has reportedly stated that the government would devote all efforts to developing a “nuclear combat force.”
Analysts have raised concerns that Pyongyang may be receiving technological assistance on its missile programs from Russia, possibly in exchange for North Korean contributions of munitions and troops to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
What People Are Saying
South Korea’s Defense Ministry previously said on X last month: “North Korea’s act of revealing its intent to strengthen its nuclear capabilities by launching cruise missiles in succession on December 28, following the December 25 statement issued in the name of the spokesperson for its Ministry of National Defense and the public disclosure of the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, is an action that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
The ministry said in a separate X post: “North Korea must respond to our government’s efforts to resume good-faith dialogue for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and join in maintaining a stable situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
What Happens Next
South Korea’s summit with China will proceed as scheduled.
International observers will continue monitoring North Korea’s activities leading up to the Workers’ Party congress, where Kim and other senior leaders are expected to approve new five-year plans for major economic and military targets.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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