The South Korean military has increased its vigilance again, remains on full operational readiness and in close coordination with the United States, it said. The Ministry of Defense in Tokyo confirmed the North Korean missile tests. Japanese media reports said the two missiles followed an unusual trajectory.
In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a number of missiles and says it has also tested an underwater nuclear drone. Last Thursday, the United States and South Korea ended their largest joint military maneuvers in the region in the past five years.
The communist leadership in Pyongyang had said the maneuver was intended to practice an occupation of North Korea. Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of weapons tests and declared itself an “irreversible nuclear power.” Ruler Kim Jong Un called for a significant increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons.
Against the background of these threats, the USA and South Korea have recently increased their cooperation. The internationally isolated North Korea has been expanding its weapons program for years and is therefore subject to international sanctions. South Korea and North Korea have not yet signed a peace agreement. All attempts by Western diplomacy in recent years to settle the dangerous conflict have so far failed.
