IRIA News

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the eastern waters from the Munchon area of Kangwon Province on October 9, 2022.

Japan’s State Minister of Defense Toshiro Ino and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch separately.

According to the Japanese Minister of Defense, both missiles fell into the Sea of Japan, close to Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), however, there were no reports of damages to vessels at the sea.

The first missile flew for about 350 kilometers with a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers while the second missile, which was launched a few minutes after the first one, covered almost the same distance before falling into the waters.

This is North Korea’s 25th missile launch this year which came without a prior warning. North Korea has been conducting persistent launch tests with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles since the start of the year 2022. The recent launch comes only a few days after Pyongyang fired one of its longest-ranged ballistic missiles, which flew over Japan before falling into the ocean.

The long-range missile test was carried out on October 4, 2022, and it was the first that North Korea conducted such a test in the last five years. A Hwasong-12 missile was used for the test that was first unveiled in 2017. It has the capability to hit the United States island territory of Guam.

The test resulted in widespread chaos among the Japanese administration as the missile flew for more than 4,600 kilometers and passed through Japan’s northern skies before falling into the Pacific Ocean. Japanese administration issued a public warning to its residents and warned the residents to look out for falling debris.

The surge in North Korean missile launches is due to the U.S. and South Korea’s joint maritime exercises. U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in South Korea last month along with its strike group, to participate in joint military drills.

In response to North Korea’s previous missile test, the U.S. and South Korean air forces conducted joint operation drills by bombing targets in the Yellow Sea. Fighter jets from the U.S. Air Force carried out exercises in the Sea of Japan along with their South Korean counterparts. The two allies also launched four missiles off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula.

On October 8, 2022, North Korea’s defense ministry warned that USS Regan’s redeployment in the region is causing a “considerably huge negative splash”. The ministry termed its recent missile tests as a “righteous reaction” to the intimidating military drills in the region.

The statement was aired through North Korea’s state-owned media outlet KCNA. It said that “Our missile tests are a normal, planned self-defense measure to protect our country’s security and regional peace from direct US military threats.”