hankyoreh

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

North Korea launched two more missiles in the early morning of July 9. Attention is focusing on why North Korea is ratcheting up military tension shortly after calling for reconciliation with South Korea.

“At 4:00 and 4:20 this morning, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from the Pungsan region of Hwanghae Province to the northeast, into the East Sea. The range of the missiles is estimated to have been around 500 kilometers,” a senior official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on July 9. Military authorities believe that the ballistic missiles launched on Wednesday were in the Scud series of missiles.

So far in 2014, North Korea has launched about 90 rockets, including rockets from a new 300mm multiple rocket launcher (MRL), Scud missiles, Rodong missiles, and FROG missiles. This is the thirteenth such launch in 2014, coming seven days after Pyongyang launched two rounds from the 300mm MRL on July 2.

It is highly unusual for North Korea to launch missiles from the Hwanghae Province area. The launch was particularly noteworthy since it occurred only 40-50km north of the armistice line.

“North Korea’s recent missile launches have taken place at different times - early morning, middle of the day, evening - and in different places - Wonsan, Pyongan Province, and Hwanghae Province. Something else that is different from the past is that they are moving the launchers in secret, without mentioning the missile launches on wireless. They appear to be aware that the South Korean military is monitoring their wireless communication,” a military officer said on condition of anonymity.

“They seem to be showing off the fact that they can make a surprise attack at any time and place,” the officer said.

Pyongyang has offered conciliatory gestures to South Korea on several recent occasions. At the end of June, North Korea’s National Defense Commission made a “special proposal,” calling for a halt to hostile military activity between North and South. On July 7, it issued a statement from the “government of the republic,” announcing that it would send a cheerleading squad to the Asian Games in Incheon.

The fact that, despite this, North Korea has repeatedly launched missiles is being seen as a strategic move to put pressure on the South Korean government, who have rejected its recent overtures toward reconciliation as “not being sincere.”

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