Joyce Lee and KantaroKomiya

SEOUL/TOKYO -The North Koreans fired a missile at South Korea on Saturday. It happened three days before Yoon Suk-yel was inaugurated as the South Korean president-elect. Yoon Suk-yel has vowed that he will take a tough line against North Korea.

According to the South Korean military, North Korea launched what they believe was a submarine-launched missile (SLBM), into the ocean off its east coast at 0507 GMT Saturday. It did so from a submarine near Sinpo. This is where North Korea has both submarines and equipment that can be used for testing SLBMs.

Nobuo Kishi, Japan’s Defense Minister said that North Korea’s latest development in missile technology and its repeated launch of missiles were a threat to the region as well as the international community.

Reporters were told that this was unacceptable. He also said Japan would “strengthen its defence capabilities significantly” to defend citizens against these security threats.

Kishi indicated that North Korea can complete their nuclear tests as soon as next month. He also suggested further provocative actions.

It was in accordance with a U.S. assessment, which stated that Pyongyang was preparing Punggye-ri for a nuclear test and might be ready to test it as soon as this month.

Yoon will take office Tuesday. The U.S. President Joe Biden will visit South Korea on Tuesday, May 21st. He’ll also meet Yoon with his counterpart in Japan the day prior.

Yang Moo-jin is a Seoul professor of North Korean Studies.

“It creates tension in order to strengthen the regime’s internal coherence face to circumstances such as the preventive of COVID-19 spreading.”

Japan and South Korea estimated that the SLBM flown Saturday as high at 50-60 km (30-40 mi) and as far to 600 km (370 mi).

North Korea launched a ballistic missile at the ocean off its east coast on Wednesday. Japan and South Korea confirmed the incident after Pyongyang pledged to “develop its nuclear force as quickly as possible”.

The Kim regime seems to be planning a nuclear weapon test, instead of accepting dialogue invitations. Leif Eric Easley from Ewha University, Seoul said that the timing of this will be determined by when underground tunnels are completed and modified technology is available.

“A seventh nuclear weapon test, the first since September 2017, would increase tensions in the Korean Peninsula and create miscalculations and miscommunications between Kim’s regime and the Yoon government.”

Kim Jong Un was the North Korean leader who pledged to increase his country’s nuclear arsenal development. He presided over a massive military parade, which featured both intercontinental ballistic and SLBMs.

North Korea fired a small ballistic missile, which was smaller than the one it had previously tested, from a submarine on October 12. Analysts speculate that this test could have been aimed at rapidly establishing an operational missile submarine.

Yoon said in a Voice of America interview that meeting with Kim Jong Un was possible, although concrete results would be needed.

Yoon stated that there was no reason not to meet Kim. But, we must show some results. If the actual result is in de-nuclearization, then it will not help our relationship.”