North Korea launches ballistic missile, marking 14th missile test of the year

Asia-Pacific, News May 5, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

North Korea launched another ballistic missile toward the eastern waters on May 4, the South Korean and Japanese officials stated.

The launch of the ballistic missile has marked the 14th round of weapons testing since the start of this year. By comparison, North Korea conducted a total of four missile tests in 2020 and 8 tests in 2021.

The recent missile ballistic test has come only six days before the newly elected Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative and a hardliner against North Korea, is set to take oath as the President of South Korea. Pyongyang has hastened its pace of testing the new weapons as its Southern neighbor goes through a presidential transition. The newly elected President of South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to take a more aggressive approach toward North Korea compared to his predecessor Moon Jae-in.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missile was launched at about 12:03 PM local time, from the Sunan area of Pyongyang. Japanese coast guards also reported the incident and suspected that launched missile could be a ballistic missile. The missile flew for 470 kilometers and reached an altitude of 780 kilometers at Mach II speeds before falling into the Sea of Japan in the East of North Korea.

Last month North Korea tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since 2017, sending waves of diplomatic pressure on its neighbors and especially the U.S. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff urged the North Korean leader to immediately stop frequent missile tests, labeling such actions from Pyongyang as a ‘clear’ breach of United Nations Security Council Resolution and a ‘grave threat’ to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

“Our military is tracking and monitoring related movements to prepare against the possibility of an additional launch, and it is maintaining a full readiness posture.” The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated in a statement released to the national and international press.

North Korean state-owned media outlet KCNA is yet to release the details about the newly tested ballistic missile, however, some photographs of the missile test were obtained by the NK News, a media outlet focused on North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a ballistic missile at an undisclosed location on May 14, 2017. (Image Credit: KCNA/AFP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had promised to speed up the weapons and nuclear development program last week during a huge military parade to mark the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army.

Denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S. stalled amid the concerns that Pyongyang would soon test its nuclear weapons in the underground nuclear weapons testing sites that are being reconstructed in North Korea.

U.S. and South Korean officials are also keeping a close eye on the reported nuclear test site constructions in North Korea through satellite images. North Korea had officially closed its nuclear weapons testing in 2018, however, the reconstruction of the abandoned nuclear sites indicates that Pyongyang is close to developing nuclear weapons.