North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Tuesday in response to joint air drills conducted by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan and ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
The South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the launch occurred at approximately 7:34 AM.
This provocative act came just five days after Pyongyang tested its new Hwasong-19 ICBM on October 31. The military is currently assessing the missile’s specifications, including its type, flight range, altitude, and velocity.
As the United States prepares for its 47th presidential election, with voting set to begin at midnight in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, experts suggest North Korea’s latest missile test serves multiple strategic purposes. It is seen as a reaction to the trilateral air drills conducted on Sunday and an attempt to divert attention from reports of North Korean troops deployments to Russia. Furthermore, it is also a calculated move to influence U.S. election dynamics and strengthen its negotiating position.
On the same day, Kim Yo Jong, sister to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the deputy director of the Workers’ Party, stated state media condemning the joint air drills over the Korean Peninsula. She reiterated the regime’s stance on bolstering its nuclear capabilities, describing the exercises as “the most hostile and dangerous form of aggression by the enemy.”
She highlighted the expansion of joint military activities, including the new multilateral Freedom Edge exercises and the increased deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula. She warned that the increase in these dangerous military exercises poses a significant threat to peace and stability, not only for North Korea but for the entire region.
