Nth Korea resumes its missile testing

North Korea fired a suspected longrange missile designed to strike the mainland US yesterday, South Korea’s military said, a day after the North resumed its testing activities in an apparent protest over US moves to solidify its alliances with South Korea and Japan.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected a ballistic missile launch off the North’s eastern coast. It later said the missile launched is likely an intercontinental ballistic missile.

If confirmed, it would be North Korea’s first ICBM launch in about two weeks. Experts said an ICBM launched by North Korea on November 3 failed to fly its intended flight.

The Japanese Defence Ministry also said in a statement North Korea fired an Icbm-class ballistic missile from its western coastal area that flew toward its eastern waters across the country.

The launch is the latest in a slew of missile tests by North Korea in recent weeks. But the country had halted weapons launches for about a week before it fired a short-range ballistic missile on Thursday.

Before yesterday’s launch, the North’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, threatened to launch “fiercer” military responses to the US bolstering its security commitment to its allies South Korea and Japan.

Choe was referring to US President Joe Biden’s recent trilateral summit with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Cambodia.

In their joint statement, the three leaders strongly condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests and agreed to work together to strengthen deterrence.

The North has argued a US military presence in the region as proof of its hostility toward the country.