SEOUL: North Korea fired numerous short-range nuclear weapons into the water on Tuesday ( Jan 14), according to Seoul’s defense, in what authorities said could be a message to US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
The release comes as Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya travels to South Korea for a number of meetings with senior officials, with the Eastern neighbors attempting to bolster diplomatic ties before Trump’s election return the following 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”.
The missiles flew 250 kilometers before landing in the water near North Korea’s Ganggye region around 9.30 am native time, according to the report.
The US and South Korea’s intelligence services have already detected and followed North Korea’s missile launch procedures, according to the military.
It said it was maintaining “full preparation” and sharing knowledge with the United States and Japan while” strengthening monitoring and awareness” for more launch.
Seoul’s acting President Choi Sang-mok slammed the release, saying it violated UN Security Council proposals.
Based on its strong surveillance stance and US empire, Seoul will react to North Korea’s threats more clearly, he said.
According to experts, the most recent announcement on Tuesday might serve as a communication to the incoming Trump presidency.
Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said,” It could be directed at the US.”
” It may show an intention to put pressure ahead of the Trump administration’s second term”.
Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP “it appears to be an objective to proclaim reputation ahead of the Trump management”.
He added that the move could also be used to “destabilize South Korea during Seoul’s individual period of turmoil” as the Constitutional Court’s on Tuesday hearing for suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to begin. Last month, he unsuccessfully attempted to enter a military law case.