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North Korea fires second ballistic missile before drills
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern Wonsan area early Wednesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The weapon flew more than 700 km before landing in waters outside…
The Story in Brief
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern Wonsan area early Wednesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The weapon flew more than 700 km before landing in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese authorities confirmed. It is Pyongyang's second reported ballistic missile test in less than a week, coming just days before the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises between South Korea and the United States begin on August 17.
South Korea's National Security Council condemned the launch as an act of provocation that violates UN Security Council resolutions. Japan also lodged a protest, calling it a serious threat to safety. The latest test follows a short-range ballistic missile launch detected on August 6 by South Korea, the US and Japan. North Korea has not commented on either launch. Experts say the North has historically used such joint exercises as a pretext for weapons testing.
The Indian Opinion
The familiar cycle of action and reaction is playing out again. North Korea paints US-South Korea drills as invasion rehearsals, yet it tests missiles that violate UN resolutions. Seoul and Tokyo call it provocation, but their own military exercises, though defensive, are equally predictable. Both sides lock themselves into a script where each escalation justifies the next. The real test will come when the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills begin on August 17. Will Pyongyang launch a long-range missile or an intercontinental one? That number will tell us if this is routine muscle-flexing or a genuine escalation.
Sources (2): livemint.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
