Seoul: North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday, according to South Korea's military. This act is seen as Pyongyang's military muscle-flexing ahead of its upcoming key party congress.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the missiles launched from an area north of Pyongyang at around 3:50 p.m. The missiles flew approximately 350 kilometers, and South Korean and U.S. authorities are analyzing the exact details of the launch.
"Our military maintains a firm readiness posture while closely sharing North Korean ballistic missile information with the U.S. and Japan sides amid a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches," the JCS stated.
North Korea is expected to hold the ruling party's first congress in five years early next month, where major policy lines on defense, diplomacy, and the economy will be unveiled.
The recent launch coincided with U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby's departure from South Korea to Japan, the second stop on his Asia trip. Colby engaged with South Korean security officials to discuss alliance issues, including Seoul's nuclear-powered submarines bid and the desire to regain wartime operational control from Washington.
Colby's visit followed the Pentagon's release of a new U.S. defense strategy, which calls for Seoul to assume a "primary" role in its defense and recognizes North Korea as posing a "direct military threat" to South Korea and Japan. The strategy also highlights the danger of a potential nuclear attack on the American homeland by North Korean forces.
In response to the launch, the U.S. Forces Korea issued a statement declaring it is "consulting closely" with allies and partners. "Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies. The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region," the statement read.
The previous missile launch by North Korea toward the East Sea occurred on January 4, coinciding with President Lee Jae Myung's trip to Beijing for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. North Korea later claimed it tested hypersonic missiles with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.