SEOUL:  , North Korea fired several short-range nuclear weapons into the water Tuesday ( Jan 14), according to Seoul’s defense, in what authorities said could be a text to US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
The launch took place as Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya traveled to South Korea for a number of meetings with senior leaders, with the Eastern neighbors attempting to bolster diplomatic ties before Trump’s election comes up next year.
Seoul’s military reportedly referenced the body of water known as the Sea of Japan, which the North Korean military claimed” the South Vietnamese military detected some short-range nuclear missiles fired into the East Sea”.
North Korean and US intelligence agencies had monitored Pyongyang’s start preparation, the government said, with Seoul maintaining “full preparation” and sharing knowledge with Washington and Tokyo.
Tuesday’s release took area around 9.30am near North Korea’s Ganggye place, with the weapons flying 250km before getting in the water, according to the defense.
The United States Indo-Pacific Command criticized the check and demanded that North Korea “refuse to commit any more immoral and destabilizing works.”
Seoul’s acting leader Choi Sang-mok also slammed the release, saying it violated UN Security Council commitments.
” Seoul will react to North Korea’s provocations more strongly,” he said, citing its close ties to the US and its powerful safety position.
According to experts, the most recent release might serve as a concept for the incoming US president.
” It may show an intention to put pressure ahead of the Trump administration’s second term”, said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
SECOND TEST THIS MONTH
Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP the test start “appears to be an objective to proclaim reputation ahead of the Trump management”.
As Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial for his failed martial law bid commenced on Tuesday, he said it could also be aimed at “destabilizing South Korea during Seoul’s own period of turmoil”.