In 2 weeks, North Korea has launched 6 ‘banned’ ballistic missiles. Why?
North Korea on Thursday (October 6) fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards its east coast in the direction of Japan, the sixth such launch in two weeks.
This comes two days after North Korea had launched a ballistic missile without any warning over Japan on Tuesday for the first time in five years.
People in Japan woke up to the noise of blaring sirens. This came after #NorthKorea fired a ballistic missile over #Japan. The ballistic missile travelled about 4,500 km before falling into the Pacific Ocean. Watch to know more. #Missiles #NewsMo pic.twitter.com/M8GUvEAqOT
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 4, 2022
This is the 24th time this year, that North Korea has conducted missile tests.
After the launch on Tuesday, the US called for a UN security meeting, in which the US condemned Russia and China for protecting North Korea from sanctions.
The launch has also caused a situation of panic and chaos among the citizens of Japan, as most of them are getting flashbacks about the last one in 2017
As the Security Council wrapped up a meeting on North Korea's dangerous ballistic missile launches, we learned that Pyongyang launched two more missiles.
— Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) October 6, 2022
Make no mistake: the two Council members that are blocking us from taking action are enabling North Korea.
India’s stand: The action has been strongly criticised by various countries including UK, US and France. India has also joined the team and has condemned North Korea.
What was the response from other countries? In response, South Korea and the US military conducted rare missile drills on Tuesday, and an American supercarrier repositioned east of North Korea in support of Japan. However, the rocket lapsed and caused panic among nearby residents, resulting in embarrassment for both countries.
What do we know about the missiles? The missile launched on Tuesday flew a distance of about 4,600 kilometres (2,858 miles), with an altitude of some 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) and a top speed reaching Mach 17 (17 times the speed of sound), according to Japanese officials. This was over Japan's Aomori prefecture before landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The missile was an intermediate-range ballistic missile (a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km). On October 6, North Korea fired two more short-range missiles which flew 800km distance with an altitude of 50km. This was also fired towards the direction of Japan.
Why now? Even though North Korea is not very outspoken regarding its policies of missiles and other nuclear tests, experts are predicting a few possible reasons:
'Defeat and deter North Korea': As part of their practice to 'defeat and deter a North Korean attack', the US, South Korea and Japan have been holding a series of combined exercises over the past two months. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sees these drills as proof that his enemies are preparing for war. A statement by the North accused the US of "escalating military tensions on the Korean peninsula". On Wednesday, the US, Japan and South Korea carried out further drills, which they said were a response to Tuesday's launch.
US’s response: The US said there was "no equivalency" between a banned missile test-fire and security drills.
Allies and enemies: As US-China competition intensifies, China has drawn North Korea closer. South Korea and North Korea have grown further apart, with a new conservative government in Seoul eager to side with the West and take a harder line against North Korea.
- Russia-Ukraine War
Considering this backdrop, North Korea may be able to take advantage of instabilities in the region and remind a world focused on the Russian war in Ukraine that it still matters, said Robert Ward, senior fellow for Japanese security studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies to Washington post.