N. KOREA FIRES MISSILES DAYS AFTER INAUGURATION
North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Thursday, its neighbors said, the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations this year and one that came just hours after it confirmed its first case of the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
The launches could underscore North Korea’s determination to press ahead with its efforts to expand its arsenal despite the virus outbreak to rally support behind the leader, Kim Jong Un, and keep up pressure on its rivals amid longdormant nuclear diplomacy.
Thursday’s launches were the North’s first weapons fired since the inauguration of new conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday.
North Korea has a history of rattling new governments in Seoul and Washington in an apparent bid to boost its bargaining chips in future negotiations. The North Korean nuclear threat will likely top the agenda when Yoon meets visiting U.S. President Joe Biden in Seoul next week.
South Korea, Japan and the U.S. condemned the test of the weapons, which were launched from the North’s capital region on Thursday afternoon.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the launch when he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-han, according to a White House statement. The two also discussed President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea next week, Biden’s first to an Asian country during his presidency. Biden is also scheduled to visit Japan during the whirlwind trip.
The missiles plunged into the waters between North Korea’s eastern coast and outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said. There was no report of damage.