북한, 순항미사일 공개 이틀만에 동해로 탄도미사일 2발 발사
North Korea fired ballistic missiles... just two days since launching long-range cruise missiles toward the East Sea.
One expert believes the move is designed to help the regime gain the upper hand in future negotiations.
Kim Ji-yeon has our top story.
North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired at 12:34 and 12:39 from North Korea's Yangduk , Pyeongannam-do Province.
They flew some 800 kilometers... and reached an altitude of some 60 kilometers.
"The South Korean military detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from North Korea's Pyeongannam-do Yangduk region Wednesday afternoon. An analysis is underway with close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S."
An expert said since they were launched inland rather than in a coastal area... it's highly likely the weapons have been test-fired before.
From looking at the flight distance and maximum height... there's the possibility the missiles could be a modified version of the KN-23 Iskander-class ballistic missile that was fired on March 25th... using transporter erected launchers.
Such Iskander-class ballistic missiles are harder to intercept than other missiles due to their so-called pull-up maneuver - the ability to shoot upwards dramatically during the final stages of descent making it harder to predict their flight trajectory.
By firing the same weapons this time, the North's aim may be to show off its confidence in its missile capabilities and to test an increase in flight distances of pre-existing weapons.
"After the military parade, North Korea is trying to escalate tensions by showing its new weapons. Although the North has developed nuclear weapons, its delivery of nuclear warheads is still incomplete. So through such launches, it's trying to gain the upper hand in negotiations with other countries by improving its delivery systems."
The latest missile launch is the fifth provocation by North Korea this year.
The North fired cruise missiles right after Biden's inauguration as U.S. president on January 22nd as well as on March 21st.
It fired ballistic missiles on March 25th... and long-range cruise missiles on Saturday and Sunday.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
#NorthKorea #ballistic_missile #East_Sea
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2021-09-15, 22:00 (KST)
