North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles, according to South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It is the second North Korean ballistic missile test in less than a week.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Young-Joon
Advertisement
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan city off the country's east coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.
The two missiles flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) and reached a height of 30 kilometers, Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
"We stress a series of missile launches do not help ease tensions in the Korean Peninsula and urge the North to refrain from such acts," a Joint Chiefs of Staff statement said.
The missiles appeared to be different from those launched in previous tests, Yonhap reported. It did not elaborate.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launches were "no threat to Japanese national security." Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said: "It is extremely regrettable that North Korea continues firing the missiles that violate the U.N. resolutions."
The US military said it was monitoring reports of a missile test.
North Korea ramping up pressure
Six days earlier, North Korea test-launched two new short-range ballistic missiles, the first such missile tests since May.
North Korea has called for an end to joint US-South Korean military exercises as a precondition for denuclearization talks.
The test missile launches threaten to derail US-North Korea attempts to revive working-level talks on denuclearization following a meeting last month between US President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to downplay last week's missile launches, saying that the US hoped to advance talks. North Korean ballistic missile tests are against UN resolutions.
On Wednesday, South Korea's military said they believe the submarine has three launch tubes, according to the head of the country's parliamentary intelligence community Lee Hye-hoon.
Missile-capable submarines are particularly threatening because they are difficult to detect and can fire nuclear or conventional missiles at a relatively short distance to their target.
ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength
For years, the international community downplayed the threat of North Korea's military power. With the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is clear that Pyongyang's military capabilities are growing.
Image: Gettty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Major achievement
In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Trouble with warheads
At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting
The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
US running out of patience?
Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/M. Brown
Testing the boundaries
Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/KCNA
Whole of US within range?
Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.
Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP
One of the world's largest militaries
Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Vast capabilities
According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Enemies all around
Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might
Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.
