North Korea fires suspected cruise missiles into sea

April 14, 2020

North Korea launched several missiles into its eastern sea on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, adding that the projectiles are believed to be “short-range cruise missiles.”

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement said multiple anti-ship cruise missiles were launched from North Korea’s eastern coastal town of Munchon and flew around 150 kilometers (93 miles), before landing in the sea. North Korean fighter jets also fired a number of air-to-surface missiles afterward, according to South Korea’s military.

North Korea launched a series of short-range ballistic missiles in March amid stalled nuclear talks with the US. It is less usual for the country to launch cruise missiles.

Tuesday’s launch comes the day before the birthday of North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung and South Korea’s general elections.

“South Korea and US intelligence authorities are closely analyzing related issues,” said the JCS, a body that is made up of South Korea’s military heads and has operational control over all military personnel in South Korea’s armed forces.

South Korea’s military is monitoring for more developments.

What are North Korea’s cruise missiles?

Cruise missiles are self-powered projectiles that can travel at much lower altitudes than that of ballistic missiles, sometimes just a few meters above the surface, making them harder to detect. Some cruise missiles can also be controlled while in flight.

North Korea possesses two known cruise missiles: the KN-01 and the Kumsong-3, based on Russian designs. The missiles can be used for coastal defense against ships.

If the missile is confirmed as a cruise missile, it would be North Korea’s first cruise missile launch since June 2017, reported AP, citing an unnamed official.

Read more: How Japan is using an old German map to irk South Korea

Stalled negotiations

Talks between the US and North Korea have stalled since a summit between the two sides in February last year. The countries disagree on the sequence of nuclear disarmament and sanctions relief, in the talks over dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile program.

UN resolutions have banned North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, while international sanctions aim to deter it from continuing its missile development programs that could carry nuclear warheads.

At the end of 2019, Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, said it wasfree from a self-imposed test ban on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles– which he had previously agreed to in talks with US President Donald Trump.

North Korea’s series of ballistic missile tests in March prompted the JCS to criticize its northern neighbor’s actions “at a time when COVID-19 is causing difficulties worldwide.”

kmm/stb (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)

‘Handshake for peace’ – Trump crosses into North Korea

Third Kim-Trump meeting

It was the third meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in just over a year. The first Trump-Kim summit took place in Singapore in June last year. A meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, was held in February 2019. Both meetings failed to provide a clear roadmap for North Korea’s denuclearization.

‘Handshake for peace’ – Trump crosses into North Korea

Making history

Trump made history on June 30 with his latest encounter with Kim. He’s the first sitting US president to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides South and North Korea. Trump briefly crossed into North Korea as he shook hands with Kim. He said he was “proud to step over the line.”

‘Handshake for peace’ – Trump crosses into North Korea

Watching over the North

Prior to his meeting with Kim, Trump flew to the DMZ with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The US president met with South Korean and American troops as he watched over North Korea from a military post in the DMZ. US presidents in the past have visited American troops on the South Korean side but not set foot in the DMZ.

‘Handshake for peace’ – Trump crosses into North Korea

‘Great friendship’

From calling Kim Jong Un “little rocket man” to someone he has a “certain chemistry” with, Trump has come a long way in his dealing with North Korea. On June 30, he once again emphasized his personal ties with the North Korean dictator. Kim, too, hailed his “wonderful” relationship with Trump, saying the latest meeting would enable nuclear talks.

‘Handshake for peace’ – Trump crosses into North Korea

‘In no rush’

Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the impasse over nuclear talks, but Trump is hopeful for a breakthrough. Although his previous two meetings with the North Korean leader didn’t yield any result, Trump said he was “in no rush” to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

‘Handshake for peace’ – Trump crosses into North Korea

Regime survival

Experts have warned that North Korea may never agree to fully give up its nuclear ambitions, which they say Pyongyang views as vital for regime survival. In March, new satellite imagery suggested that North Korea started rebuilding a rocket launch site before Kim and Trump’s Vietnam summit in Feruary. The site had been dismantled last year as part of Kim’s denuclearization pledge.

Author: Shamil Shams