Pyongyang has doubled down on upgrading its weapons programme this yr. (Representational)
Seoul, South Korea:
North Korea launched at the least one ballistic missile into waters off its east coast on Sunday, South Korea’s army mentioned, after Seoul and Washington staged their first joint drills involving a US plane service in additional than 4 years.
Pyongyang has doubled down on upgrading its weapons programme this yr regardless of dealing with crippling financial sanctions.
“North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile(s) into the East Sea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Employees mentioned Sunday morning, referring to the Sea of Japan.
The Japanese Coastguard mentioned “doable ballistic missile(s)” had been launched from North Korea, citing the defence ministry.
The launch got here after South Korea and the USA wrapped up large-scale, three-day drills involving the USS Ronald Reagan, a 100,000-tonne nuclear-powered plane service.
It was the allies’ first joint army train since South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol took workplace final month, and their first joint drills involving an plane service since November 2017.
Pyongyang has lengthy protested towards Seoul and Washington’s joint army workout routines, calling the drills as rehearsals for invasion.
“The train consolidated the 2 nations’ dedication to sternly reply to any North Korean provocations, whereas demonstrating the US dedication to offer prolonged deterrence,” the JCS mentioned in an announcement.
Final month, throughout a summit with Yoon, US President Joe Biden mentioned Washington would deploy “strategic belongings” if obligatory to discourage North Korea as a part of efforts to bolster the prolonged deterrence.
Nuclear check
Final month, Pyongyang test-fired three missiles, together with probably its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17.
That launch got here simply days after Biden left South Korea following his summit with Yoon.
US and South Korean officers have warned for weeks that Pyongyang could conduct a seventh nuclear check.
Regardless of combating a latest Covid-19 outbreak, North Korea has resumed development on a long-dormant nuclear reactor, new satellite tv for pc imagery has indicated.
South Korea’s presidential workplace mentioned final month that Pyongyang had carried out checks of a nuclear detonation system in preparation for its first nuclear check since 2017.
Lengthy-range and nuclear checks have been paused since North Korean chief Kim Jong Un met then-US president Donald Trump for a bout of diplomacy, which collapsed in 2019.
However Pyongyang deserted this self-imposed moratorium on lengthy vary and nuclear checks, and has carried out a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons checks this yr, together with firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full vary.
Analysts have warned Kim may pace up nuclear testing plans to distract North Korea’s inhabitants from the disastrous coronavirus outbreak.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
