After Winning Against COVID-19, North Korea Reportedly Launches Two Cruise Missiles

Photo by Micha Brändli on Unsplash

JAKARTA - North Korea reportedly fired two cruise missiles from the west coast city of Onchon on Wednesday morning, August 17, citing information from the South Korean military.

According to intelligence, the military authorities of South Korea and the United States are now directly analyzing the details of the missile's flight, including its range, as quoted by Channel News Asia.

The launch came a day after Seoul and Washington began four days of joint exercises. This is the beginning of preparation for the Ulchi Freedom Shield direct field training from August 22 to September 1.

The two allies have scaled back joint military exercises in recent years due to COVID-19 and to de-escalate tensions with North Korea, which accuses the drills of being rehearsals for invasion.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Tuesday said the US, South Korea and Japan participated in a ballistic missile defense exercise off the coast of Hawaii last week - the first exercise since 2017 when relations between Seoul and Tokyo hit their lowest point in years.

Pyongyang has not conducted a missile test for two months. North Korea has been busy fighting the COVID-19 outbreak.

But the latest news, North Korea has declared victory over the virus.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday reiterated that he is willing to provide gradual economic assistance to North Korea if it ends nuclear weapons development and begins denuclearization, as he answered questions during a press conference to mark his first 100 days.