Three ballistic missiles were fired by North Korea early Wednesday morning according to South Korea’s military. The three missiles were fired in the course of an hour from the Sunan area in Pyongyang. The incident occurred only one day after US President Joe Biden left the region after vowing to deter North Korea.
North Korea has been test-firing many ballistic missiles since the start of the year, Japan confirmed that at least two launches occurred on Wednesday and said there could have been more. The first missile flew about 300 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 550 kilometers and the second reached a height of 500 kilometers traveling around 750 kilometers. Japan’s Defense Minister criticized the launches and said they could threaten the safety and stability of the international community while South Korea’s National Security Council called the test a provocation. The timing of the missile launch was not a coincidence and was to test the relationship between South Korea and the United States and to provoke a response. The incident is another escalation by North Korea and evidence is mounting that North Korea may be prepared to test a nuclear weapon, which would be the frist nuclear test in five years.
Read more: North Korea fires missiles hours after Biden leaves Asia