South Korea fires a missile from a submarine and escalates tension with the North | Previously, the North Korean army launched two rockets that hit the Sea of ​​Japan

South Korea successfully fired ballistic missile from submarine, making it the eighth country in the world with such advanced technology and raising questions about an arms race in the region. The test, overseen by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, It came hours after neighboring North Korea fired two short-range rockets that hit the Sea of ​​Japan..

South Korea seeks to counter the threat posed by North Korea, a country subject to international sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. This exchange of locations occurs at a time when dialogue on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula has stalled since the failure of the Hanoi summit in 2019.

North Korean trials

It all started on Wednesday morning when North Korea launched “two short-range ballistic missiles” from shores of Pyongyang province. The projectiles flew about 800 kilometers before fall into Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)North Korean Defense Ministry sources added.

The last time the North Korean government fired a ballistic missile was at the end of March, when it tested what appeared to be a new version of its KN-23 projectile, capable of tracing very difficult to intercept trajectories. UN punishes North Korean missile launches on the basis of resolutions adopted in response to its development of weapons of mass destruction. On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced successful tests of a new model of “long-range cruise missile”.

According to analysts, beyond the conflict with South Korea, the shooting of North Korea is also a clear signal to China, a power with which he maintains a complex relationship. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has not visited Chinese territory for more than six years since coming to power, succeeding his father Kim Jong Il.

Seoul’s response

A few hours after the North Korean rehearsal and in an unusual gesture, South Korea announced it had just launched a ballistic missile from a submarine, a test conducted in coastal Taean County, about 100 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The rehearsal took place in the presence of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The presidential office confined itself to saying in a statement that the projectile traveled the expected distance and hit the marked target “with precision”. Although President Moon assured that the test was not in response to the North Korean launch, the timing and form chosen seems to indicate that Seoul is seeking to send a message of force to Pyongyang but also to its people, given that ‘there will be presidential elections in March next year. .

It was not actually the first successful test of such a launch in Seoul, as military sources disclosed to the media that a first successful test took place two weeks ago. This makes South Korea the eighth country able to launch missiles from submarines., a list also made up of the United States, Russia, China, India, United Kingdom, France and North Korea.

A few hours after the South Korean rehearsal, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong accused President Moon of “defamation”. Seoul has an “illogical attitude that describes its behavior as a legitimate action in favor of peace and ours as a threat to peace,” the woman said in a statement released by North Korean news agency KCNA.

Truncated dialogue in the region

This arms escalation comes at a time when the dialogue on denuclearization has stalled since the failure of the Hanoi summit in 2019, in which the United States deemed North Korea’s disarmament offer insufficient and refused to lift the sanctions. Washington has insisted in recent months on meeting Pyongyang without preconditions “where and when” in an attempt to restart talks, but so far there appears to have been no response from Kim Jong-un’s government.

At a time, North Korea has again cut off telephone communications with the South in August, after Seoul and Washington continued their summer military exercises, and has so far also rejected offers for dialogue and humanitarian aid from the Moon government.

The missile tests also coincided with the visit to Seoul by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi., which specifically underlined the importance for all countries involved in the Korean Peninsula to reduce their military activities to “contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” Wang insisted that “not only North Korea, but also other countries are carrying out military activities” in the region.

Reactions to attacks

The US government pointed out on Wednesday that North Korea had violated UN Security Council resolutions by firing two ballistic missiles at sea, but reiterated its willingness to dialogue with Pyongyang. “The United States condemns the launch of the missile by North Korea, (…) poses a threat to your neighbors and other members of the international communityA State Department spokesperson said. However, Joe Biden’s administration has not yet discussed the trials of his South Korean ally.

For its part the government of Japan confirmed and condemned the North Korean lawsuit. “The recent and repeated launches of ballistic missiles and other projectiles by North Korea constitute a serious problem for Japan and the international community as a whole”, denounced the ministry of Defense in agreement with the United States. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called a meeting of the National Security Council and called on the Japanese government to gather information on the matter while ensuring the safety of air and sea traffic.

Russian government, as, called on Pyongyang and Seoul to “avoid any kind of action that may increase the tension“In his daily press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the Russian army” is naturally following the situation in the region with the greatest attention “.