North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles, one fails

A day after Pyongyang threatened “fatal consequences” following significant joint exercises in the South, the South Korean military claimed on Monday that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, but one launch failed.

The military had detected two launches, the first at 5:05 am (2005 GMT) and the second around ten minutes later, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“The short-range ballistic missile launched at around 05:05 flew approximately 600 km (372 miles),” it said, adding the second one travelled 120 km.

The second missile looked to fly strangely in an early stage of flight, according to JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-jun. She also added that if it had detonated in midair, the trajectory suggests that pieces might have landed over North Korea.

According to a statement from JCS, Seoul’s military has “increased surveillance and vigilance in anticipation of additional launches.”

In an apparent display of solidarity, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in June. North Korea is suspected of violating arms control agreements by providing missiles to Russia for use in its conflict in Ukraine.

When asked if the North’s most recent launch could have been a test of missiles meant for delivery to Russia, Lee of the JCS declined to comment.

The launch also occurs after Pyongyang threatened “fatal consequences” and referred to joint military drills between the US, Japan, and South Korea as a “Asian version of NATO” on Sunday.

Over the course of last week’s three days, the “Freedom Edge” drills covered air and ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and defensive cyber training.

They also featured Seoul’s KF-16 fighter plane, Tokyo’s guided-missile destroyer JS Atago, and Washington’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Similar joint exercises have long been denounced by Pyongyang as invasion practice. However, Seoul justified the most recent exercises, claiming they were an extension of defensive drills that had been conducted on a regular basis for years.