SEOUL: North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile off its east coast on Tuesday, pulling Japan’s new prime minister off the campaign trail.
The launch, reported by officials in South Korea and Japan, came after US and South Korean envoys met in Washington to discuss the nuclear standoff with North Korea on Monday. Spy chiefs from the United States, South Korea, and Japan were reported to be meeting in Seoul on Tuesday as well.
The North Korean launch would be the latest weapons test by the country, which has pressed ahead with military development in the face of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
One ballistic missile was launched about 10:17 a.m. local time from the vicinity of Sinpo, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, where North Korea keeps submarines as well as equipment for test firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo cited an unnamed military source as saying the government was “assuming that it was an SLBM test,” without elaborating.
North Korea has also launched other types of missiles from that area.
“Our military is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States, to prepare for possible additional launches,” JCS said in a statement.
South Korea’s national security council held an emergency meeting and expressed “deep regret” over the test, urging the North to resume talks.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that two ballistic missiles had been detected, and that it was “regrettable” that North Korea had conducted a string of missile tests in recent weeks.
There was no immediate explanation from South Korea’s JCS for the conflicting number of missiles detected.
Kishida canceled scheduled campaign appearances https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-kicks-off-election-camp... in northern Japan, and the deputy chief cabinet secretary told reporters that Kishida was planning to return to Tokyo to deal with the missile situation.
South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, said daily routine liaison calls with the North were conducted normally on Tuesday.
Kim Dong-yup, a former South Korea Navy officer who is a professor at Kyungnam University’s Far East Institute in Seoul, said the latest test involved one of the recently unveiled SLBMs.
The North displayed new Pukguksong-4 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-military-analys... and Pukguksong-5 SLBMs https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-politics-idUSKBN29J2YG during its military parades in October and January, respectively, and a previously unseen, smaller missile https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea-military-analys... was spotted at last week’s defense fair in Pyongyang.
The series of recent launches as well as the opening of the unusual military show https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-threatens-upstage-skor... in Pyongyang suggest that North Korea may be resuming military and international affairs after nearly two years of focusing inward amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said Chad O’Carroll, CEO of Korea Risk Group.
“North Korea’s renewed testing of ballistic missiles suggests the worst of domestic hardship between summer 2020-2021 could be over,” he said on Twitter.
“Pyongyang tends to focus on one big strategic issue at a time, so the renewed testing could suggest military – later foreign policy – now priority.”
The launch came as the intelligence chiefs of the United States, South Korea, and Japan were due to meet in Seoul to discuss the standoff with North Korea, amid other issues, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a government source.
The US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, said that he would visit Seoul for talks this week.
“The US continues to reach out to Pyongyang to restart dialogue,” Kim said after meeting with his South Korean counterpart in Washington on Monday. “We harbor no hostile intent toward (North Korea), and we are open to meeting with them without preconditions.”
The missiles tested recently by North Korea appear aimed at matching or surpassing https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-southkorea-analys... South Korea’s quietly expanding arsenal, analysts have said.
Last month South Korea successfully tested an SLBM https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/skorea-successfully-t..., becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a system. North Korea test fired a missile launched from a train on the same day.
This month the two Koreas held duelling defense exhibitions aimed at showcasing their latest weaponry amid a spiralling arms race.
As news of Tuesday’s missile launch broke, representatives of hundreds of international companies and foreign militaries were gathered in Seoul for the opening ceremonies of the International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX).
It is set to be South Korea’s largest defense expo ever, organizers said, with displays of next-generation fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, drones, and other advanced weapons, as well as space rockets and civilian aerospace designs.
South Korea is also preparing to test fire its first homegrown space launch vehicle https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/spy-satellites-mobile-network... on Thursday.
Though analysts say the South Korean rocket has few potential applications as a weapon, such tests are unlikely to be welcomed in North Korea, which has complained of a double standard in which its own space program is criticized overseas as a front for military missile development.
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North Korea missile launch disrupts start of Japanese election campaign
North Korea missile launch disrupts start of Japanese election campaign
- The launch, reported by officials in South Korea and Japan, came after US and South Korean envoys met in Washington
- The North Korean launch would be the latest weapons test by the country
China foreign minister blasts Middle East war, urges US to manage ties
- Wang Yi: ‘A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle’
BEIJING: China’s top diplomat condemned on Sunday the war in the Middle East and urged the United States to iron out its differences with Beijing.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference in the Chinese capital that the war, which was sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran, “should never have happened.”
“A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle,” he told reporters.
He was speaking during China’s annual political gathering, which began this week, known as the “Two Sessions.”
The parallel meetings of China’s parliament and political consultative body are closely watched for clues as to the priorities of top leaders, in the face of a precarious geopolitical landscape
Wang addressed a range of issues, including a trade war with the United States, regional tensions in the South China Sea, as well as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“This year is indeed a big year for Sino-US relations,” Wang said.
‘Manage differences’
Ties between China and the United States have been strained since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, followed by a trade war that saw the two countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s products.
“We observe certain country erecting tariff barriers and pursuing decoupling and supply chain disruption,” Wang said on Sunday.
“These actions are akin to trying to extinguish a fire with fuel. Ultimately, they will backfire and harm itself.”
While China and the United States “cannot change each other,” he said, “we can change the way we interact with each other.”
Wang urged both sides to “create a suitable environment, manage existing differences, and eliminate unnecessary interference.”
But a wide range of disagreements remain.
Beijing has blasted US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, with which it has diplomatic and trade ties.
It has in particular condemned the killing of the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Wang also maintained that China’s relations with Moscow, which have been criticized by Western countries for sustaining the war in Ukraine, remained “steadfast and unshakeable.”
China ‘gym’
China has sought to profit off Trump’s volatile foreign policies, positioning itself as a reliable alternative to once traditional US allies.
Leaders from France, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom, among others, have flocked to Beijing, recoiling from Trump’s bid to seize Greenland and tariff threats against fellow NATO members.
Wang welcomed the visits on Sunday, saying “we have noticed that more and more insightful Europeans agree that China is not a competitor, but a global partner.”
“We welcome our European friends to step out of the ‘small attic’ of protectionism and come to the ‘gym’ of the Chinese market, where they can strengthen their muscles and enhance their competitiveness,” he said.
In the spirit of warming relations, China has doled out visa-free travel agreements to around 50 countries including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Beijing has also agreed to reduced tariffs with Ottawa and London in their exports to China.
Wang also addressed relations between China and Japan, which have been locked in a spat after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan.
Takaichi’s comments enraged Beijing, which views Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.
Wang emphasized on Sunday that Beijing “will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan … from China once again.”
He warned Japan against “repeating the same disastrous mistakes,” adding that China “will never allow anyone to stand up for colonialism,” in an apparent reference to Tokyo’s actions during World War II.
The issue of Taiwan, he insisted, is “at the heart of China’s core interests” and “a red line that must not be crossed or trampled on.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference in the Chinese capital that the war, which was sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran, “should never have happened.”
“A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle,” he told reporters.
He was speaking during China’s annual political gathering, which began this week, known as the “Two Sessions.”
The parallel meetings of China’s parliament and political consultative body are closely watched for clues as to the priorities of top leaders, in the face of a precarious geopolitical landscape
Wang addressed a range of issues, including a trade war with the United States, regional tensions in the South China Sea, as well as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“This year is indeed a big year for Sino-US relations,” Wang said.
‘Manage differences’
Ties between China and the United States have been strained since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, followed by a trade war that saw the two countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s products.
“We observe certain country erecting tariff barriers and pursuing decoupling and supply chain disruption,” Wang said on Sunday.
“These actions are akin to trying to extinguish a fire with fuel. Ultimately, they will backfire and harm itself.”
While China and the United States “cannot change each other,” he said, “we can change the way we interact with each other.”
Wang urged both sides to “create a suitable environment, manage existing differences, and eliminate unnecessary interference.”
But a wide range of disagreements remain.
Beijing has blasted US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, with which it has diplomatic and trade ties.
It has in particular condemned the killing of the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Wang also maintained that China’s relations with Moscow, which have been criticized by Western countries for sustaining the war in Ukraine, remained “steadfast and unshakeable.”
China ‘gym’
China has sought to profit off Trump’s volatile foreign policies, positioning itself as a reliable alternative to once traditional US allies.
Leaders from France, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom, among others, have flocked to Beijing, recoiling from Trump’s bid to seize Greenland and tariff threats against fellow NATO members.
Wang welcomed the visits on Sunday, saying “we have noticed that more and more insightful Europeans agree that China is not a competitor, but a global partner.”
“We welcome our European friends to step out of the ‘small attic’ of protectionism and come to the ‘gym’ of the Chinese market, where they can strengthen their muscles and enhance their competitiveness,” he said.
In the spirit of warming relations, China has doled out visa-free travel agreements to around 50 countries including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Beijing has also agreed to reduced tariffs with Ottawa and London in their exports to China.
Wang also addressed relations between China and Japan, which have been locked in a spat after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan.
Takaichi’s comments enraged Beijing, which views Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.
Wang emphasized on Sunday that Beijing “will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan … from China once again.”
He warned Japan against “repeating the same disastrous mistakes,” adding that China “will never allow anyone to stand up for colonialism,” in an apparent reference to Tokyo’s actions during World War II.
The issue of Taiwan, he insisted, is “at the heart of China’s core interests” and “a red line that must not be crossed or trampled on.”
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