Seoul prepares for missile from the north
South Korean military officials are readying for another possible missile launch by Pyongyang as they prepare for a joint military drill with the US on the disputed peninsula this week.
Several South Korean media reports citing unidentified military officials on Saturday and Sunday said North Korean missile vehicles “kept appearing and disappearing” from the map and “transporter erector launchers” had been spotted carrying ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang and the province of North Pyongan.
A joint military drill between the US and South Korea would be held from Monday to Friday, news agency Yonhap reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified military source who said Pyongyang was ready to launch missiles any time.
“Anything could happen, especially before China’s party convention on October 18 and during the time between postdrills and Trump’s visits in the region,” said Shin Beomchul, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul, referring to US President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia from November 3 to 14, during which he will visit South Korea.
“There is also the possibility for North Korea to test shorterranged ballistic missiles, which in the past did not lead to UN sanctions.” Historically, the North had tended not to provoke directly during military drills.
North Korea’s state-run media agency, KCNA, on Saturday criticised the joint military exercise, calling it a “reckless act of war maniacs”.
FIGHTER JETS
Separately, US weapons systems including F-35A and F-22 stealth fighter jets, B-1B bombers and RQ-4 surveillance drones, will participate in the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition being held from Tuesday to Friday, although they will not be armed, according to a Yonhap report.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 and has launched more than a dozen missiles in 2017. The UN has imposed stringent sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear weapon tests. Trump has said all options — including military — are on the table to stop North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and the White House has ruled out talks with Pyongyang.
A war of words has escalated between the two leaders, with Trump labelling Kim “Rocket Man” and telling the UN that the US would “totally destroy” North Korea if it attacked. Kim responded by calling Trump a “dotard” and warning of the “highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history”. Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho of North Korea suggested in September that that could include testing a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.
DECLARED WAR
He later said the US had declared war and his country had the right to shoot down US warplanes flying in international airspace. The comments came after US bombers and fighter jets flew near its coastline.
North Korea on September 15 fired its second missile over Japan in as many months, a rocket that flew far enough to put the US territory of Guam in range. The country has repeatedly threatened to launch a missile near the island.
NORTH KOREA CONDUCTED ITS SIXTH NUCLEAR TEST AND HAS LAUNCHED MORE THAN A DOZEN MISSILES IN 2017