The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they detected the missile fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan area between 3.30 and 3.46 a.m., flying about 550 kilometers before falling into the sea, Yonhap news agency reported.
Post Dates – Wednesday 10:30am – July 23rd 19th
Seoul: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday after a U.S. ballistic missile submarine arrived in the East Sea and held the first meeting of a new South Korea-U.S. security dialogue, the Seoul military said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they detected the missile fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan area between 3.30 and 3.46 a.m., flying about 550 kilometers before falling into the sea, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned the launch as a “major provocative act” that jeopardizes peace not only on the Korean peninsula but also the international community and “clearly” violates UN Security Council resolutions.
“Our military will maintain a steadfast posture of readiness, capable of responding overwhelmingly to any North Korean provocation,” the statement added.
The missile launch came a day after South Korea and the United States held the first meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Seoul to reinforce Washington’s commitment to long-term deterrence using the full range of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend Seoul.
The meeting coincided with the arrival of the USS Kentucky at a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the first visit to port by a US strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) since the USS Robert E. Lee in March 1981.
Pyongyang test-fired the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on July 12.
