North Korea Fires Another Projectile into East Sea Just Three Hours After Short-Range Ballistic Missile Launch

The launch of a North Korean tactical ballistic missile. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Just three hours after North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) into the East Sea on the afternoon of the 20th, it fired another unidentified projectile.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced at around 6 p.m. that North Korea had launched an unidentified projectile into the East Sea. The Joint Chiefs is currently analyzing details such as the specifications and flight range of the projectile.

Earlier, at about 3 p.m. on the same day, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area into the East Sea. The launched missile reportedly flew about 450 kilometers and is presumed to be a Hwasong-11 series, North Korea’s representative SRBM. If the additionally launched projectile is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it means North Korea fired ballistic missiles twice at three-hour intervals.

Previously, in a statement issued on the 18th by Kim Yo Jong, Director of the Workers’ Party Secretariat, North Korea protested recent U.S.-led multinational maritime exercises, such as “Pacific Vanguard,” and threatened that a “proportional or even more offensive counteraction” would be necessary. It is interpreted that by launching a ballistic missile just two days later, North Korea translated its warning into actual “counteraction.”

Some analysts also suggest that, with the U.N. General Assembly’s general debate to begin on the 22nd (local time) and a U.S.-China summit—where the North Korean nuclear issue is expected to be discussed—scheduled for the 24th, North Korea aims to reaffirm that there is no room for compromise on its nuclear and deterrence buildup.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.