North Korea launches two ballistic missiles in response to sea maneuvers by Seoul, Tokyo and Washington

Oct. 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Japanese Ministry of Defense has warned on Saturday morning that North Korea has launched two new short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of ​​​​Japan in response to the maritime exercise carried out jointly by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo on Friday.

At 06:47 and 07:01 (local time), Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles into the Sea of ​​Japan, outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, 370 kilometers from the coast, according to the country’s Coast Guard.

This is North Korea’s third launch so far this week, at a time when South Korea, Japan and the United States are conducting a joint maritime exercise in the waters of the Sea of ​​Japan, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan. This, in response to the missiles launched by North Korea in the last five days.

The authorities consider this to be a sign of protest by Pyongyang at the maneuvers in Washington and Seoul, as well as a clear show of force at the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris to the inter-Korean Demilitarization Zone.

However, South Korea and the United States, together with Japan, thus seek to demonstrate the strength of their alliance and guarantee their “willingness to launch a forceful response” to North Korea’s “provocations”, while trying to improve its operating capacity.

The three countries last held such trilateral maritime exercises in April 2017. The training focuses on detecting, identifying and tracking North Korean submarines equipped with capabilities to launch ballistic missiles from the sea, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry and collected. Yonhap news agency.

POSSIBLE NUCLEAR TEST

South Korean intelligence has warned that North Korea plans to carry out a nuclear test between October 16 and November 7 in Punggye Ri, where it has a tunnel and facilities prepared for this type of test.

The National Intelligence Service has indicated that the chosen date would be between the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and the so-called US ‘midterm’, the mid-term elections held in the North American country.

In this sense, the authorities have terminated the works in the third Punggye Ri tunnel, where North Korea carries out its nuclear tests.