North Korea Fires Multiple Short-Range Ballistic Missiles Following Freedom Edge Drills
(SEOUL=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Cheol-seon = North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles on the 12th, the day after the joint military drills 'Freedom Edge' by South Korea, the United States, and Japan concluded.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated, "At approximately 5:20 AM, we detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area in North Korea towards the East Sea. The detected North Korean missiles flew approximately 250 kilometers, and South Korea and the U.S. are conducting a precise analysis of their exact specifications."
It is believed that the missiles fired by North Korea could be Hwasong-11 series, a typical short-range ballistic missile, or 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers. It is presumed that they tested their performance by launching different missiles sequentially.
The missiles launched on this day were reportedly aimed at Al-seom in the East Sea, a frequent target for North Korean missile test launches.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have been tracking and sharing related movements since the early stages of North Korea's missile launch, and military officials explained that information related to 'North Korean ballistic missiles' was also shared with Japan.
The JCS emphasized, "Our military, under a strong ROK-U.S. combined defense posture, is maintaining its capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation while closely monitoring various movements by North Korea."
North Korea's ballistic missile launch on this day is interpreted as a reaction to the Freedom Edge military drills conducted by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan in the high seas south of Jeju Island from the 7th to the 11th.
Freedom Edge, which involves major naval and air assets from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, was first conducted in June 2024 and this is its fourth iteration. It is a multi-domain exercise aimed at strengthening the interoperability of the three countries to respond to regional threats, including North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
North Korea has protested Freedom Edge, calling it a 'U.S.-led war rehearsal,' and had foreshadowed provocations on the 7th, the start day of this Freedom Edge drill, through a statement from its Minister of National Defense, saying, "We will also take strong and retaliatory countermeasures from a position of strength."
This is the first ballistic missile launch by North Korea in 23 days, since the one on the 20th of last month.
On the afternoon of the 20th of last month, North Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles, presumed to be 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers (KN-25), from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea.
At that time, the South Korean and U.S. militaries were conducting the regular combined exercise 'Freedom Shield' (UFS) on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea appears to be retaliating with ballistic missile launches against combined military exercises, such as the ROK-U.S. combined exercise Freedom Shield and the ROK-U.S.-Japan combined exercise Freedom Edge, which are conducted with North Korea in mind.
In addition, it may also be a verification of missile performance developed under North Korea's 'Five-Year Plan for Defense Industry Development.' This could be a test launch based on military-technical needs.
On June 25th, North Korea also conducted weapons tests, including tactical ballistic missiles and new multiple rocket launchers, as part of the 'modernization of artillery and missile forces' under the Five-Year Plan for Defense Industry Development, with Chairman Kim Jong Un observing.
This is the 13th ballistic missile launch by North Korea this year alone. Among these, North Korea did not report the launch facts for three ballistic missile launches since the 6th of last month, and attention is focused on whether it will remain silent about this launch as well.
Meanwhile, on the same day North Korea launched ballistic missiles, the Korean Central News Agency reported that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had sent a congratulatory message to Chairman Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the founding of the regime (September 9th).
However, North Korea's ballistic missile launch is a violation of the UN Security Council's sanctions resolutions against North Korea.
Resolution 1718, adopted in 2006, requires North Korea not to conduct ballistic missile launches, and Resolution 2397, adopted in December 2017, explicitly states, "reaffirms the decision that North Korea shall not undertake any further launches using ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests, or any other provocations."
