N. Korea fires intermediate-range ballistic missile into East Sea: JCS

북, 동해로 중거리급 탄도미사일 발사 尹대통령 “北 도발, 우리 국민 마음을 단단히 하나로 묶을 뿐“ Good evening. Thank you for joining us. I’m Yoon Jung-min. North Korea, this morning, launched what’s presumed to be a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea. President Yoon says this latest launch is aimed at dividing the South ahead of the general election, adding it will only bring the country closer together. Our defense correspondent Choi Min-jung begins our coverage. North Korea launched an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Tuesday morning. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the missile at around 6:53 AM, launched toward the East Sea from the Pyongyang area. It traveled around 600 kilometers, shorter than average for an IRBM, which normally flies between 3 to 5,000 kilometers. However, a military official said due to its high speed, Tuesday’s missile is likely a hypersonic intermediate-range-class ballistic missile. North Korea previously test-fired a solid-fuel hypersonic IRBM in January. And last month, the regime claimed success in a ground test of a solid-fuel engine, for a new medium-to-long-range hypersonic missile. Military officials said Tuesday’s launch appears to be an upgrade from January’s test-firing, as they spotted enhanced missile capabilities with the newly tested solid fuel engine. “The latest launch is believed to be related to the solid-fuel engine ground test that North Korea publicly revealed in March.“ Hypersonic missiles are designed to travel at more than five times the speed of sound, and often maneuver at relatively low altitudes, making them harder to detect and intercept. IRBMs are weapons systems capable of targeting U.S. military bases in Guam or Japan. Referring to the launch at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol said North Korea’s attempts to divide the nation and interfere with the upcoming general election set for next week, will only make South Korea unite more tightly. North Korea has previously staged provocations before general elections in South Korea. “Provocations like this only unite the hearts of our people more tightly. We hope that our military will maintain a full security posture in preparation for further provocations by North Korea.“ South Korea’s military said it is closely cooperating with the U.S. and Japan to maintain a full readiness stance. The nuclear envoys of Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo also condemned North Korea for its recent missile test, and agreed to continue close cooperation to curb Pyongyang’s threats ahead of the upcoming election. Choi Min-jung, Arirang News. #Southkorea #JCS #NorthKorea #Missile #Provocation #대한민국 #합참 #북한 #탄도미사일 #극초음속미사일 #도발 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-04-02, 18:00 (KST)