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The Hwasong-15 ICBM was displayed during a military parade on April 25 in Kim Il-sung Square marking the anniversary of the founding of the KPRA. (Yonhap News)

North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards the East Sea from Sunan near Pyongyang on Wednesday. This recent launch comes 18 days after North Korea twice test-fired its “new tactical guided weapon” on April 18 and marks the country’s 14th show of force this year alone.

With the upcoming inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration on May 10 and the South Korea-US summit on May 21, analysts say Pyongyang is ramping up its military operation yet again after finishing up large-scale internal celebrations for the birthday of Kim Il-sung (April 15) and Military Foundation Day (April 25).

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Wednesday that they “detected one ballistic missile that was launched from the Sunan area of Pyongyang, North Korea, towards the East Sea at around 12:03 pm.” The Joint Chiefs further explained that the missile flew about 470 kilometers and reached a top altitude of 780 kilometers at a speed of Mach 11, and that further details are being closely analyzed by the information authorities of South Korea and the US.

W hen asked by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo whether the missile could be an intercontinental ballistic missile during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly Wednesday afternoon, South Korean defense minister nominee Lee Jong-sup said that although it could be an ICBM, it could also be a missile with a smaller range. “The exact type of the missile is being analyzed by South Korean and US information authorities,” he said.

Reportedly, information authorities believe there’s a good chance that North Korea fired the Hwasong-15 ICBM. There’s also a possibility that North Korea test-fired a projectile in order to put up its reconnaissance satellite.

The South Korean government discussed how to respond to Pyongyang’s missile launch by holding an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday at 1:30 pm, which was presided over by Suh Hoon, the Blue House national security advisor.

After the meeting, standing committee members of the NSC stated that they “strongly denounced North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile, which clearly violated UN Security Council resolutions and contradicted demands for peace and security from the international community.”

“We urge North Korea to stop its actions that cause serious threats to the international community and immediately return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy,” the committee continued.

“With the imminent inauguration of the incoming administration on May 10, we will firmly respond to any threats based on our solid military response capabilities and our steadfast alliance with the US, and we will continue to implement necessary response measures by closely cooperating with relevant countries including the US and the international community,” the South Korean government added.

The Joint Chiefs also revealed that its chairperson, Won In-choul, shared details about the situation with Paul LaCamera, the chief of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, via a video conference that took place immediately following Pyongyang’s missile launch, confirming that the South Korea-US combined defense readiness will remain firm.

Military authorities also explained that they are maintaining their military readiness posture by tracking and observing trends within North Korea in case of additional missile launches by the country.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter; Lee Wan, staff reporter

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