North Korea this morning (Friday) launched a short-range ballistic missile, a new type recently developed. The launch, which was the third this week, came hours after U.S. President Joe Biden warned that the House may respond if trials do not stop.
Meanwhile, at his press conference, the president was asked whether North Korea is a top priority for US foreign policy. Biden simply replied “yes,” even though in his speech last month, the president did not address North Korea.
The missiles launched this week were part of North Korea’s first experiment with ballistic missiles in about a year. The launches were condemned by the United States, which claimed they were undermining stability in the region: “The launches violate a large number of Security Council resolutions and threaten to shock the region and the international community.”
The missile launched tonight is the result of using improvements made to existing technology so that it can hold a 2.5-ton warhead, according to a report by the KCNA network, the official news agency of North Korea. “The development of this weapons system has great significance for strengthening the country’s military force and deterring all sorts of military threats,” said Ri Pyong Chul, a senior official who oversaw the launch, according to the agency.
According to experts from a research center in California, the missile used in the experiment was uncovered as early as October at a large military parade held in Pyongyang. The KNCA added that the launch showed that the missile was “equipped with a system that makes it difficult for weapons to detect and shoot it down.”
South Korean President Moon Jia-in, referring to his northern neighbor’s missile test, said that “the United States and the two Koreas should make efforts to continue the dialogue, not create difficulties.”