In an apparent act of protest against the U.S.’s display of naval force in South Korea, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the eastern sea. The launch, North Korea’s third round of missile testing in the past week, came just hours after a U.S. nuclear-propelled submarine docked on Jeju Island in South Korea.
Key Points:
- The missile launch is the third round of testing North Korea has carried out recently, seemingly in response to the presence of major U.S. naval assets in South Korea.
- South Korea’s military stated that the missiles were launched from near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, and flew approximately 400 kilometers (248 miles) before landing in the sea.
- Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida lodged a protest against the missile launches, highlighting an increase in trilateral security cooperation between Japan, the U.S., and South Korea.
- The missile launch came after the USS Annapolis, a nuclear-propelled U.S. submarine, arrived in South Korea. This follows the USS Kentucky’s arrival last week, marking the first time a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine has been in South Korea since the 1980s.
- The U.S. and South Korea have been enhancing their military exercises and regional deployments in response to North Korea’s nuclear threats. The latter has conducted around 100 missile tests since the beginning of 2022.
Source: us-sends-submarine-south-korea-adding-show-force-101596571
