North Korea fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, just days ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Photo by Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA-EFE
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (UPI) — North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday, Seoul’s military said, in a provocation staged just days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The military detected the launch from the Kanggye area of the North’s Chagang Province at around 9:30 a.m., South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters.
The missiles flew approximately 155 miles before splashing down in the sea between Korea and Japan.
“South Korea-U.S. intelligence authorities were monitoring North Korea’s missile launch preparations in advance, and immediately detected and tracked them upon launch,” the JCS said.
The launch was North Korea’s second of the year, after it fired what it claimed to be a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile last week while outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Seoul for talks.
Pyongyang also launched a salvo of short-range missiles on Nov. 5, just hours ahead of the United States presidential election.
The latest provocation comes amid political turmoil in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law bid and impeachment last month. Yoon has remained barricaded inside his compound as anti-corruption officials have been unable to execute an arrest warrant for insurrection and abuse of power. The first hearing of his impeachment trial began in his absence on Tuesday.
South Korean officials and analysts have warned the North could look to take advantage of the political instability and ratchet up its military activity.
“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a strong U.S.-South Korea joint defense posture to prevent North Korea from miscalculating in the current security situation, and is maintaining the ability and posture to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation,” the JCS message said.
Trump’s impending return to office on Monday, meanwhile, has prompted speculation over a renewed diplomatic push with Pyongyang. During his first term, Trump held two high-profile summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and met him briefly a third time at the DMZ.
Trump touted his relationship with Kim on the campaign trail, saying “I think he misses me.”
“We stopped the missile launches from North Korea,” Trump said during the Republican National Convention in July. “Now, North Korea is acting up again. But when we get back, I get along with him. He’d like to see me back too.”
Trump’s outreach to Kim failed to result in a nuclear deal, however, and Pyongyang has accelerated the development of its weapons programs in the intervening years. North Korea’s growing military relationship with Russia is a particular concern for Washington and its allies.
The North has sent munitions and missiles to Russia, as well as over 12,000 troops to aid Moscow’s war effort against Ukraine in the southwestern Kursk region, according to U.S. officials. Washington has warned that Russia intends to share advanced satellite and space technologies with Pyongyang in exchange.
South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday that Trump may seek dialogue with Kim and pursue a “small deal” on North Korea’s nuclear program after his inauguration, news agency Yonhap reported.