North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Baltic Sea on Monday morning. This is reported by various international news agencies, including the North Korean news agency KCNA. It is the second rocket launch in three days. On Saturday, North Korea fired a long-range missile, the first missile of this year, also towards the Baltic Sea. According to Japanese authorities, the missiles landed in the water between North Korea and Japan, just outside Japan’s economic zone, and no damage was caused.
According to North Korea, the missiles are in response to the announcement of intensified military exercises by South Korea and the United States, which the two countries consider necessary to respond to North Korea’s nuclear threat. Since 2016, the country has claimed to have nuclear weapons that can be fired with a missile. However, North Korea sees these exercises as preparations to invade the country and therefore immediately threatened to take action. On Saturday, leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, took it a step further by telling news agency KCNA that “using the Pacific Ocean as our firing range depends on exercises with US troops.”
The rocket launches have led to international criticism. South Korea and Japan condemned the action as a threat to international peace and a violation of United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions banning all ballistic activity by North Korea. In response to the actions, South Korea has imposed sanctions on four individuals and five organizations associated with North Korea’s weapons program. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
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