North Korea launches two short-range ballistic missiles

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, the latest in a series of weapons tests despite international sanctions.

“Our military has detected two short-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea from the Sunan region of Pyongyang into the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. , referring to what is also known as the Sea of ​​Japan.

In the statement, it was stated that the two missiles crashed into the East Sea after flying 250 km and 350 km respectively.

“Our military maintains a full presence stance, cooperates closely with the United States, and strengthens surveillance,” the note says.

Japan confirmed the launch from Pyongyang. Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno described North Korea’s latest provocations as “absolutely unacceptable”.

The launches come after an unprecedented year of weapons testing by North Korea, including the launch of the country’s most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November.

Leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister claimed this week that North Korea is developing technology to capture images from space with a spy satellite.

The United States and South Korea have warned for months that North Korea is close to conducting its seventh nuclear test.

The two countries held a joint air exercise on Tuesday and deployed a US B-52H strategic bomber on the Korean peninsula, according to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The long-range heavy bomber participated in a drill involving the most advanced US and South Korean military aircraft, the F-22 and F-35 warplanes.

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Friday’s launch came just hours after the White House announced that Pyongyang was supplying weapons to the Russian special military group Wagner.

This group is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman who was once one of the main food suppliers of the Kremlin cuisine and known as “Putin’s cook”.

In a statement by state news agency KCNA, North Korea’s foreign ministry denied any arms talks with Russia and said the story was “invented by some rogue force”.

As North Korea faces international sanctions over its weapons and nuclear programs, Pyongyang has conducted a record number of weapons tests this year, including the launch of its most advanced ICBM to date.

All ICBMs known in the country so far use liquid fuel. The North Korean leader said last year that he wanted to have a solid-fuel missile that could be launched from land or submarines.

Liquid-fuel rockets are difficult to start and require more time to prepare for takeoff, making them slower and easier for the enemy to detect and destroy.

Kim Jong Un has announced his intention to have the world’s most powerful nuclear power, describing North Korea’s nuclear power status as “irreversible”.

Since 2006, the country has faced multiple UN Security Council sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic activities.