SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Monday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent goal of demonstrating its military might amid paused diplomacy with the United States and pandemic border closures. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North likely fired two short-range ballistic missiles from an area in Sunan, the location of Pyongyang’s international airport, but didn’t immediately say how far they flew. “We strongly condemn the series of North Korean actions, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles, that threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community,” said Hirokazu Matsuno, Tokyo’s chief cabinet secretary. North Korea has been ramping up tests in recent months of new missiles designed to overwhelm missile defenses in the region. Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies, said the North may have conducted another launch to pressure Washington and could continue to dial up its testing activity after vowing stronger action over what it perceives as U.S. hostility.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 17, 2022 07:52 UTC