North Korea fires ballistic missiles as South Korean president visits China
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Sunday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said these missiles were launched from an area near Pyongyang around 7:50 a.m. before landing in the East Sea, The Korea Times reported.
This all comes as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet in China with its president, Xi Jinping, and also as North Korea condemns the recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by the U.S.
U.S Indo-Pacific Command put out a statement Sunday morning, saying it is aware of the missile launches and consulting “closely with our allies and partners.”
“Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said. “The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region.”
South Korea’s presidential office said it held an emergency security meeting, and said North. Korea needs to stop engaging in “provocative acts that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the missile launches violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, and are a serious issue that affect public safety, NHK World-Japan reported. The Japanese government lodged a “strong protest with North Korea,” and condemned its actions through officials channels, Koizumi told reporters.
North Korea condemns US strike on Venezuela
North Korea strongly denounced the U.S. military operation in Venezuela saying Washington “wildly violated the sovereignty of Venezuela.”
“The incident is another example that clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the U.S. which the international community has so frequently witnessed for a long time,” state-outlet Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, told Reuters one goal North Korea had in its missile launches was to send a message that “we are different from Venezuela” and ready to respond with “aggressive deterrence.”
“After seeing what’s happening in Venezuela right now, the person who would be most afraid is Kim Jong Un,” another professor, Bong Youngshik, a visiting professor at Yonsei University, said to the outlet.
South Korea-China relations
Eul-chil said North Korea’s actions are are also meant to counter China’s stance on denuclearization, and to deter the country’s closer ties with South Korea as Xi meets with Lee.
Lee’s office said he will request that China take “a constructive role” in efforts to promote peace, The Associated Press wrote.
Chinese state news broadcaster CCTV reported both sides are also expected to discuss “practical cooperation” when it comes to supply chain investment, the digital economy, environmental and climate change response.
More than 200 Korean entrepreneurs are joining Lee on his visit to China.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
