North Korea launched two ballistic missiles eastward early on Wednesday, Japan's and South Korea's militaries said, just hours after a U.S. ballistic missile submarine arrived in a South Korean port for the first time in four decades.
Both of the missiles appeared to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) called on the North to cease such launches.
"We strongly condemn North Korea's successive ballistic missile launches as grave provocative acts that undermine the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community, and are a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the JCS said in a statement.
The U.S. military said it was aware of the missile launches and was consulting closely with its allies and partners.
The launches do not appear to pose an immediate threat to the United States or to its allies, but the events highlight the destabilizing impact of North Korea's illicit weapons program, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
The first missile reached an altitude of 50 km and covered a range of 550 km, while the second one rose as high as 50 km and flew 600 km, Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters.
Japan lodged a protest against the missile launches through diplomatic channels, he said.
The firing comes nearly a week after North Korea tested its latest Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, a launch Pyongyang said was a warning to the United States and other adversaries.
North Korea "undoubtedly opposes" a new U.S.-South Korea nuclear war planning group that met for the first time on Tuesday, as well as the visit of the U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine, he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2023.
19 Comments
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Tamarama
Imagine starving a population to death, whilst you spend all the money on military hardware you keep shooting into the sea....
Paul
So what? If you don't like it, shoot them down!
Old Sausage
The cost of building two ballistic missiles is approx. 200 million dollars in North Korea. This figure translated into the cost of food,
resulting in between 40 to 100 million people being fed with 2,000 calories a day. My figures are coming from my calculations as a Professor of Statistics for the UN.
Old Sausage
Errata. My previous comment should read:
The cost of building two ballistic missiles is approx. 200 million dollars in North Korea. This figure translated into the cost of food,
results in between 40 to 100 million people being fed during 24 hours with 2,000 calories a day. My figures are coming from my own calculations as a Professor of Statistics for the UN.
voiceofokinawa
Blowing another raspberry to Goliath? Maybe, N. Korea doesn't see it that way. They think they once fought a war with the U.S. and won it. The reason why they don't think the U. S. is invincible.
Sven Asai
Dear professor, you simply cannot calculate with a free convertible currency like US dollars when it’s about a communist dictatorship country which NK is one of. Those missiles are for free, in the sense of a monetary value. They consist only of labor force working hours and otherwise own produced or gifted from China components. They don’t have more money or could buy more food if they even would stop the whole missile program.
Strangerland
You sound very angry. Have you tried telling someone?
BeerDeliveryGuy
These missiles are being sold to Yemen, Iran, Sudan, Syria, etc… and generate revenue for NK, as their meth and counterfeit operations are in the decline.
These tests are to demonstrate capabilities to potential buyers, and to maintain the legitimacy of the Kim regime.
Marc Lowe
Japan is condemning the launches out of jealousy. DPRK's arsenal is superior and Kishida is scared of Kim,
finally rich
Instead of invading the DORKS, just parachute a bunch of Big Macs on them.
Even the soldiers they proudly show in those parades (theoretically "their best") look hungry if not malnourished
Rodney
they were sanctioned by US because they lost the Korean War. Like every one. This caused hardship and suffering on the people. But they are resilient and understand who is the evil oppressor. Just search the internet if your democratic country doesn’t sensor, NK citizens are always smiling. Then research roller villages in middle America.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Violate the NPT and upset the regional balance and you pay a price. They can destroy the nukes anytime.
Yeah, because they will be shot otherwise.
Rodney
Really?
they have between 20-40 nukes. US bases have more than 50. USA submarines (Columbia-class submarine will carry up to 16 Trident II D-5), and they are here because I have seen one when I went to SK. Japan is rated number 7th strongest army.
kishida is only scared of Kim because his sister can KO him with one punch.
Rodney
proof please.
the UN sanctions/NTP was forced by USA that hosts and mostly funds their puppet UN.
Mr Kipling
Chicken or egg?
TaiwanIsNotChina
There is plenty of proof of concentration camps in NK. I don't need to look it up for you.
Imagine supporting such criminal countries that the UN and the NPT are against you. I guess it makes sense since the dictatorship cabal once fought against the UN.
OssanAmerica
Total nonsense as usual. North Korea has been sanctioned for violating UN resolutions. North Korea does not consider that they "lost"the Korean War.
kaimycahl
@Rodney Yes the people are starving! Yes they UNDERSTAND who the EVIL OPPRESSOR is!! The little short man himself who forces his citizens to wear the dear leaders pin on their clothing or else face a firing squad! LMFAO you say they are smiling, but the people of NK say the smiles you see are a FROWN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN my friend!
they were sanctioned by US because they lost the Korean War. Like every one. This caused hardship and suffering on the people. But they are resilient and understand who is the evil oppressor. Just search the internet if your democratic country doesn’t sensor, NK citizens are always smiling. Then research roller villages in middle America.
Hiro S Nobumasa
Nothin to worry about.
It seems NK's missiles always missed their targets.