Military officials in South Korea and Japan said North Korea fired a
ballistic missile on Sunday, the first test since the nuclear-armed nation
conducted a record number of launches in January.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea had fired a
suspected ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast from a location
near Sunan, where Pyongyang's international airport is located.
The airport has been the site of missile tests, including a pair of
short-range ballistic missiles fired on January 16.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Sunday's missiles may fly as high
as 600 km (400 miles), to a range of 300 km (200 miles).
"There have been frequent launches since the beginning of the year, and
North Korea continues to develop ballistic missile technology at a rapid
pace," Kishi said in a televised statement.
North Korea threatens the security of Japan, the region and the
international community, he said.
North Korea's last test was on January 30, when North Korea fired a
Hwasong-12 medium-range ballistic missile.
The largest weapons test since 2017, the Hwasong-12 is reported to have
flown to an altitude of about 2,000 km (1,200 miles) and a range of 800 km
(500 miles). That ended the record month for most short-range missile
launches in January.
Sunday's launch came less than two weeks ahead of South Korea's March 9
presidential election, amid concerns by some in Seoul and Tokyo that
Pyongyang may press ahead with missile development while international
attention is focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"This launch comes at a time when the international community is responding
to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and if North Korea takes advantage of the
situation, that is something we cannot tolerate," Kishi said.
South Korea's National Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss
the launch, which it called "regrettable," according to a statement from the
presidential Blue House.
"Launching ballistic missiles at a time when the world is making efforts to
resolve the Ukraine war is never desirable for peace and stability in the
world, the region and on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.
The leading conservative candidate, Yoon Suk-Yeol, warned last week that
North Korea could see the Ukraine crisis as "an opportunity to launch its
own provocation."
Candidates and analysts have noted, however, that even before the invasion,
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw an increase in missile tests as
talks with the United States and its allies remained stalled.
"Putin's wars shaped nearly all of today's geopolitics, and should have
factored into Kim's calculations - but even 'taking advantage of
distractions' seems overkill, because (North Korea) was already testing
aggressively before the war," John Delury, a professor at the University
Yonsei South Korea, said on Twitter.
North Korea, which has close ties to China, did not test any missiles during
the Beijing Olympics in February. The 2022 Winter Paralympics kick off in
Beijing on Friday.
Complaining about the United States' unrelenting "hostile policy", North
Korea has suggested continuing testing of its long-range missiles or even
nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang has an ambitious military modernization schedule, and the strength
and legitimacy of the Kim regime have been linked to better missile testing,
said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
"North Korea will not help anyone to remain silent while the world deals
with Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he said.
There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon or the US State Department
on Sunday's launch. Washington has said it is open to talks with North Korea
without preconditions, but Pyongyang has so far rejected the offer as
insincere.
North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles is prohibited by a United Nations
Security Council resolution, which has imposed sanctions on the country over
its missile and nuclear weapons programs.
In its first comments since Thursday's Russian invasion of Ukraine, North
Korea's foreign ministry on Saturday posted a statement by a researcher
calling the United States the "root cause" of the crisis for pursuing
unilateral sanctions and pressure while ignoring Russia's legitimate demands
for its security.
