North Korea Fires Another Short Range Ballistic Missile, Falls Outside Japan's EEZ

Illustration of North Korean missile tests. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile into its eastern seas on Wednesday, extending a recent spate of weapons demonstrations including what it described as simulated strikes against South Korean and US targets last week.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from the western city of Sukchon, north of the capital, Pyongyang, flying over the country into waters off North Korea's east coast.

The launch was also detected by the Japanese military, which said the missile flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) at a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles).

The relatively low trajectory seems to align with the flight characteristics of some of North Korea's newest short-range weapons, which are designed to evade missile defenses.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile landed in waters outside the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

He said North Korea's intensive testing activity significantly raised regional tensions, with Tokyo protesting to North Korea through their embassy in Beijing.

The launch came after North Korea fired dozens of missiles last week, in an angry reaction to massive joint air drills between the United States and South Korea that North Korea described as invasion drills.

North Korean missile test illustration. (Source: KCNA)

North Korea's military said Monday its launch last week was a simulation to "mercilessly" attack key South Korean and US targets, such as air bases and operations command systems.

Pyongyang also called the launches in response to Seoul and Washington's joint air drill, "Vigilant Storm", which ended last Saturday, involving some 240 warplanes, including B-1B supersonic bombers and advanced F-35 fighter jets.

Wednesday's launch also comes as vote counts in the US midterm elections are underway. Experts have previously said the outcome of the US election is unlikely to change President Joe Biden's administration's policy on North Korea.

South Korea's military earlier on Wednesday also said debris recovered from one of the North Korean missiles that flew south last week was seen as an old Soviet-era weapon dating back to the 1960s.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said analysis of the 3 meters (9.8 ft) long debris taken from waters near Korea's eastern sea border on Sunday showed it was one of North Korea's SA-5 missiles.

The ministry said similar missiles were used by the Russian military to carry out ground attacks during the invasion of Ukraine. The missile was one of more than 20 missiles North Korea fired last week.

"North Korea wants to demonstrate the range of their missile technology through this test, but not all launches have to reveal the latest technological advances", said Soo Kim, a security analyst with California-based RAND Corporation.

"It may be in North Korea's interest to keep some of its modern capabilities in reserve, testing them at the right opportunity. Kim is, again, playing the long game, so to reveal all his cards, the various types of missiles and the capabilities that his country acquires, will not benefit him," he said.