North Korea fired at least three suspected ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden ended his Asia tour. During his visit to South Korea and Japan, Biden discussed the security threats posed by Kim Jong-un’s regime.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the suspected ballistic missiles were fired into the waters east of North Korea from an area near Pyongyang’s airport at around 6:00 a.m., 6:37 a.m. and 6:42 a.m. North Korea time, respectively.
Flight trajectories showed that the missiles were not intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of flying thousands of kilometers, but a third of the missiles, believed to be a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) by the South Korean military, flew about 760 kilometers.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said North Korean missile launches were unacceptable and officials were studying whether at least one of the missiles was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM),
The White House said Biden was briefed on the launch. The U.S. military believes that while the missile launches pose no direct threat to the U.S. or its allies, they underscore the threat of North Korea’s possession of illegal weapons.
Jeffrey Lewis, East Asia director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said Wednesday’s launch was unlikely to be a full ICBM because it had a much lower range.
North Korea last launched three short-range ballistic missiles on May 12, and the United States, South Korea and Japan said before Biden’s visit that North Korea may be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.
North Korea has launched frequent missile launches this year, hitting a record high. Over the past few months, North Korea has tested various missiles designed to evade U.S. interception and increase the nuclear threat to the United States and its Asian allies.
