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| Tuesday's launch could be designed to test whether the South would still brand it as a provocation.The U.S. condemned the missile launch, which is in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and poses a threat to the region and the international community.(File photo by=KCNA) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL: North Korea fired one short-range missile into the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, just days after Pyongyang held out the prospect of an inter-Korean summit if the South drops "double standards."
The missile was fired from the North's Mupyong-ri in Jagang Province eastward at around 6:40 a.m., the JCS said, adding the South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing the launch for additional information. It didn’t specify if the projectile is a ballistic missile and has not released such details as to its flight range and altitude. Sources raised the possibility that it could be a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) or a new type of weapon given its unique trajectory and other features.
The launch came three days after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that Pyongyang could declare a formal end to the Korean War as suggested by the South and even discuss the possibility of a summit on conditions that Seoul drops its double standards and hostile attitudes against it. Tuesday's launch could be designed to test whether the South would still brand it as a provocation. Meanwhile, in Seoul, top security officials held an emergency security meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) and voiced regret over the launch.
