DPRK fires off ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan

World Today

DPRK fires off ballistic missile towards East Sea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launches a missile into the Sea of Japan early Sunday.

Experts say it might be intended to challenge the new administration in Washington.

CGTN’s Joseph Kim reports from Seoul.

South Korea denounced the DPRK’s ballistic missile test, calling it a military provocation that destabilizes the region.

Security officials held emergency meetings in the aftermath, with the missile launch at the forefront of discussions.

The DPRK claimed it was in its final stages of the intercontinental ballistic missile project in January which made this an even greater priority.

This is the DPRK’s first missile test since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, setting the tone for diplomatic tensions under the Trump administration.

South Korea called it a failure after the missile landed only 500 kilometers (310.6 miles) into the Sea of Japan. But Analysts in Seoul said this may have been done intentionally, to gauge how Washington would respond.

The ROK’s military asserted it’s ready for all provocations by the DPRK, despite the political turmoil the country is facing. Seoul currently holds no lines of communication with Pyongyang amid a leadership vacuum, with President Park Geun-hye awaiting the verdict on her impeachment.

Fears of the ROK’s diminishing role in the security apparatus were further heightened following President Trump’s statement during the visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in which he reassured Washington’s support to Japan specifically, but failed to mention South Korea.


Security expert Jim Walsh discusses DPRK missile test

To discuss more on DPRK missile test, CGTN’s Susan Roberts spoke to Security expert Jim Walsh.