North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles ahead of Biden visit
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NORTH Korea fired 3 short-range ballistic missiles from an area near Pyongyang towards waters off its east coast, South Korea said, the latest in a series of volleys ahead of a planned visit to the region next week by US President Joe Biden.
The missiles were launched at 6.29 pm local time on Thursday (May 12), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without providing additional information on the flight path. The launch was the third volley of ballistic missiles this month, and came hours after leader Kim Jong Un ordered a lockdown following the country’s first reported case of Covid-19.
The launch was also detected by Japan’s defence ministry. The missiles likely touched down outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, citing an unidentified Japanese official.
Biden is due to meet new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on a trip that starts on May 20 to discuss policy towards North Korea. Yoon has pledged to take a tough line with North Korea and the launch provides an early test of his government, which took office on Tuesday.
Health experts have doubted North Korea’s claims of having escaped Covid. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul said its announcement on Thursday of its first case may be a way for Kim to signal that his regime is willing to open a channel for humanitarian assistance with the outside world.
North Korea launched what appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile last Thursday, followed by the firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Saturday. Kim is on pace for his busiest year of ballistic missile launches since he took power a decade ago.
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Over the past several months, Kim’s regime has tested a variety of missiles designed to evade US-operated interceptors and increase the threat of a credible nuclear strike against the US and its allies in Asia. BLOOMBERG
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