North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles After the US Wraps Up Drills With South Korea

NEW DELHI (CoinChapter.com) — North Korea fired two more ballistic missiles on Oct 9, making it the seventh launch of a nuclear-capable weapon by President Kim Jong-un in recent days.

The launch alarmed the US and its allies, Japan and South Korea. The South Korean military released a statement saying North Korea fired the nuclear weapons toward its eastern waters. Both missiles reached an altitude of 100 km and covered a range of nearly 350 km.

The first missile was fired at around 1647 GMT, and the second one nearly six minutes later. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued an emergency alert in response to the North Korea ballistic missile tests.

The US said it was consulting with its allies on the matter while stating that the North Korea nuclear missile program was having a “destabilizing impact” on the region, per Reuters.

The South Korean military stated the missile launches were a serious provocation and harmful to the peace in the region. Meanwhile, North Korea said the missile tests were self-defense against US military threats.

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Furthermore, Kim Jong-un said the missile tests did not harm the safety of neighboring countries and regions. The statement comes after a North Korean missile flew over Japan for the first time in five years.

North Korea Missile Tests A Simulation Of Striking South – Kim Jong Un

State news agency KCNA said on Oct 10 that the recent missile tests were in response to the large-scale navy drills by South Korean and U.S. forces. Moreover, the KCNA report stated the simulated striking military centers of gravity, ports, and airports in South Korea.

The effectiveness and practical combat capability of our nuclear combat force were fully demonstrated as it stands completely ready to hit and destroy targets at any time from any location

KCNA said

Furthermore, the report alleged that the South Korean military chief had made some “unreasonable and provocative remarks” regarding North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, thus revealing South Korea’s desire for confrontation.

The US and South Korea held joint maritime exercises involving a US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and its strike group.

The KCNA report only referred to one missile as a nuclear weapon but might assign a similar role to new and old weapon systems. Analysts speculate that Kim Jong-un might ask the military to develop smaller warheads for battlefield use and to fit on smaller-range missiles.

Furthermore, military experts are wary that small warheads on short-range missiles might represent a dangerous change in North Korea’s nuclear weapon plans.

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