South Korea’s presidential office strongly criticized North Korea’s firing of over 10 short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday. The office instructed the military to maintain full readiness during joint exercises with the United States. An emergency security meeting was called by the presidential office involving officials from the Defence Ministry and military authorities after North Korea launched the missiles from the Pyongyang area towards the east of the Korean Peninsula. The office deemed the missile launch a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions and demanded North Korea to cease such actions immediately.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missiles traveled approximately 300 kilometers towards the sea. The missile launch occurred following the announcement that the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises between South Korea and the U.S. were being scaled back. President Donald Trump had ordered a significant reduction in these exercises, citing his positive relationship with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s non-support in the U.S. conflict with Iran.
Kim Yo Jong, the spokesperson for the North Korean regime, rebuffed Trump’s gesture and mentioned that reducing the exercise duration does not change the provocative nature of the drills. She also highlighted the ongoing military exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea earlier in the year, along with South Korea’s plans to introduce nuclear-powered submarines.
Analysts suggested that North Korea’s missile launch aimed to emphasize Kim Yo Jong’s previous warning and assert its stance against the South Korea-U.S. military exercises. The launch was also seen as a message to deter speculation regarding Pyongyang’s security matters and potentially test enhanced missile systems.
Notably, Trump’s past responses to North Korean missile tests included strong rhetoric, but subsequent meetings with Kim did not yield significant diplomatic progress. Trump has often questioned the cost of maintaining U.S. troops in South Korea, despite the existing cost-sharing agreement between the allies. Japan also reported a ballistic missile launch by North Korea towards the sea, with the projectile falling outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized peaceful coexistence between South Korea and North Korea during his visit to Seoul, urging a shift away from hostile policies towards North Korea.