- The goal was to "assess photography capabilities, satellite data, transmission systems, and ground control."
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| File photo of the launch of a ballistic missile in North Korea. |
North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan again
North Korea has launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, South Korean and Japanese military authorities have reported.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul reported in a statement that the North Korean regime launched the projectiles from the Sunan area, where the Pyongyang International Airport is located, at around 4:32 p.m. local time this Friday (6:32 GMT).
For their part, the Japanese authorities initially reported that it was a single "probably ballistic" missile, while the Coast Guard indicated that the projectile or projectiles fell in waters outside the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), while the Executive called an emergency meeting to discuss the details of the launch.
After the launch, last Sunday, the North Korean authorities pointed out that it was a test within the framework of the development of a military reconnaissance satellite that it seeks to put into orbit in April next year. Thus, he explained that the objective was "to evaluate the capacity of photography, satellite data, transmission systems, and the ground control system."
Pyongyang's latest test comes after the regime announced on Monday that it had tested a future military reconnaissance satellite, which included launching two projectiles that Seoul believes were medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs).
That test came just three days after North Korea tested a new type of solid fuel engine to improve the efficiency of its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
With this, there are already at least 46 launches that the Kim Jong-un regime has carried out this year, according to estimates by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) of Washington.
This record volume of tests, coupled with the maneuvers in Seoul and Washington and their growing investment in defense, has accelerated the arms race in the region, which is experiencing all-time highs of tension.
The authorities of the United States and South Korea agreed last Wednesday to carry out "realistic" joint military maneuvers, especially in the face of scenarios of attack with missiles or nuclear weapons by North Korea.
The South Korean Ministry of Defense stressed that the parties also plan to expand their joint exercises for next year after a meeting between senior defense officials from both countries.
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