Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters). – North Korea fired three missiles (including one believed to be an intercontinental missile (ICBM), on Wednesday. This was after U.S. President Joe Biden had left Asia for a visit in which he agreed new measures to discourage the nuclear-armed country.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said that the missiles were launched in under an hour from Pyongyang’s Sunan region, North Korea’s capital. This area has been a major hub for missile testing.

On Wednesday, the first missile was launched. A second, unidentified missile crashed mid-flight. According to the South, it was a short-range missile ballistic (SRBM) third.

The United States and South Korea responded by holding combined military drills that included surface-to-surface missile testing, South Korea’s military stated.

North Korea launched a flurry missile launches in this year’s Korean New Year, ranging from hypersonic weapons testing to firing the largest ICBMs it has fired for nearly five years. Also, it appears that the country is preparing to conduct its first nuclear attack since 2017.

U.S. officials and South Korean officials warned North Korea that they were ready for another nuclear test.

Yoon took office May 10. He convened his inaugural meeting of the National Security Council. They strongly condemned the latest rocket launch as “grave provocations”, particularly since it was before Biden returned to the USA.

Yoon, according to his office, ordered the aids to help strengthen U.S. expanded deterrence as well as the combined defense posture.

Yoon’s government made a separate statement, saying, “North Korea’s continual provocations will only lead to even stronger, quicker South Korea/U.S. defense deterrence and further isolation upon itself.”

According to a White House official, Biden left Japan Tuesday night after being briefed about the launch and will continue receiving updates.

Japan claimed to have reported at most two missile launches but admitted that it could have had more. Japan’s defense minister stated that one of the missiles was capable of changing its flight path during flight. It flew for approximately 750km (465 miles), and reached a maximum altitude 50 km. According to him, another missile flew approximately 300 km at a maximum altitude reaching 550km.

NHK, a Japanese radio station, stated that the missiles appear to have been lost outside Japan’s economic zone (EEZ).

Hirokazu Matsuno, the Japanese chief cabinet secretary, said that North Korea could engage in more provocative acts including a nuclear attack.

U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command stated that it knew of several launches. The “destabilizing impact of DPRK’s illicit weapon programme” was highlighted by them. However, they did not pose an immediate danger, the Indo-Pacific Command stated in a statement using the initials North Korea’s official names.

Biden and Yoon met in Seoul this weekend to agree to increase military drills, and to deploy additional U.S. strategic assets to counter North Korea’s increasing weapons test.

However, they offered to provide COVID-19 vaccines for North Korea to help it fight its first confirmed disease. They also called upon Pyongyang not to abandon diplomacy.

Biden at the time stated that Pyongyang did not respond to diplomatic requests or offer of assistance.

In the final hours of Biden’s trip to the region, Russian and Chinese bombers flew joint patrols close to South Korean and Japanese air defense zones.