IRIA News

North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward the sea on July 22, 2023, marking a second missile launch this week. Pyongyang’s missile launch came in protest against the arrival of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-armed submarine at a South Korean port.

According to the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff (JCS), missile launches were detected on July 22, beginning as early as 4 a.m. in the morning. “Our military has bolstered surveillance and vigilance while closely cooperating with the United States and maintaining a firm readiness posture,” the JCS said in a statement.

Earlier this week, on July 19, the JCS also reported that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near its capital, Pyongyang. The missiles flew about 550 kilometers before landing in the waters on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula.

The flight distance of the missile roughly matched the distance between Pyongyang and the South Korean port of Busan, where the nuclear-armed submarine, USS Kentucky, has been docked.

The JCS said that “South Korean and US intelligence authorities were analyzing the launches while monitoring signs of additional activities”.

North Korea fired a new-type Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasongpho-18 off its eastern coast towards the Sea of Japan on July 12, 2023. The launch came after Pyongyang accused the U.S. of intruding on North Korea’s air space and warning that it may shoot down any U.S. Air Force plane that illegally intrudes on its air space. However, South Korea and United States officials dismissed the accusations of airspace violations.

US Navy’s nuclear-armed submarine docks in South Korea for first time in 4 decades

North Korea’s latest test on July 22 came at a time when a U.S. ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) surfaced for a rare visit to South Korea this week. The visit was seen as a blunt reminder that Washington always has nuclear-tipped missiles deployed within close striking distance of North Korea, analysts said.

The USS Kentucky, an Ohio-class submarine capable of firing nuclear ballistic missiles, arrived in Busan, South Korea, on July 17, 2023, for a scheduled port visit. It is the first time in four decades that a U.S. submarine armed with nuclear weapons docked in South Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Busan’s Nam-gu District on July 19 to tour the USS Kentucky (SSBN-737), docked at the naval operations base of the Republic of Korea Fleet Command.

The submarine’s visit has resulted in sharp rebukes from North Korean officials raising tensions across the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. officials, however, defended the submarine visit. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the deployment of a nuclear submarine and other assets was necessary to “make sure that we have in the region sufficient military capability to protect our South Korean allies, and, quite frankly, the 38,000 U.S. troops and families that are on the Korean peninsula.” He added that the U.S. officials “have made it clear to Pyongyang that we’re willing to sit down without preconditions to denuclearize the peninsula.”

The U.S. Forces Korea also released a statement regarding the submarine’s port visit. The statement said that “This port visit to Busan reflects the United States’ ironclad commitment to the Republic of Korea for our extended deterrence guarantee and complements the many exercises, training, operations, and other military cooperation activities conducted by Strategic Forces to ensure they are available and ready to operate around the globe at any time.”

#USSKentucky sails alongside #USSJohnFinn & #USSRalphJohnson during operations in 🇰🇷, reaffirming the ironclad 🇺🇸-🇰🇷 #Alliance and demonstrating the #Readiness to respond to crises in support of #FriendsPartnersAllies across the #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

📸: MC2 Samantha Oblander pic.twitter.com/P5OpXXVgTz

— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) July 20, 2023

In reaction to the submarine’s arrival in Busan, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam released veiled nuclear threats against Washington and Seoul on July 20. Kang said that “the ever-increasing visibility of the deployment of the strategic nuclear submarine and other strategic assets may fall under the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons specified in the DPRK law.”