Author: Jiang Guiying
After North Korea launched 25 missiles on November 2, it launched six more ballistic missiles on the 3rd, one of which was intercontinental ballistic missile . South Korea and the United States immediately decided to extend the ongoing joint military exercise of the warning storm, and South Korea will also study additional unilateral sanctions to deal with North Korea.
South Korea's Gunsan Air Force Base parked the US Air Force F-35B fighter jets on the 2nd, all of which were launched by the US-South Korea joint air exercises. (Reuters)
South Korea's joint staff headquarters said Thursday that North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile suspected to be "Mars-17" into the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula at around 7:40 am that day. Its flight distance was about 760 kilometers and its flight speed reached Mach 15.
South Korea and the US intelligence authorities observed that the missile was separated between two secondary stages in flight. The first-stage rocket and the second-stage rocket were successfully separated one after another. After that, there was insufficient thrust and the warhead failed to reach the predetermined speed.
Then North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles to the eastern waters at 8:39, with a flight distance of 330 kilometers and a maximum speed of Mach 5. The two missiles are suspected to be the North Korean version of the "Iskander Missile" (KN-23) and the North Korean version of the "Army Tactical Ballistic Missile" (KN-25) series.
Tourists watched a news broadcast of North Korea's missile test at a dock in South Korea on November 3. (AFP)
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol urgently convened a meeting of the National Security Standing Committee, instructing further strengthening the deterrence force of South Korea-US against North Korea and expanding security cooperation between South Korea-US and Japan. Yoon Seo-yeol said that North Korea has been increasing its provocations, and in order to protect the lives and safety of the people, it must maintain a foolproof state of South Korea-US cooperation.
The South Korean Air Force announced earlier that it would extend the South Korean-US military exercise that was originally scheduled to end on November 4. South Korea and the United States agree that in the face of intensified North Korea's provocation, it is necessary to demonstrate the solid joint defense situation of the South Korea-US alliance. The Warning Storm is a large-scale joint air exercise participated by more than 240 Korean and American military aircraft.
South Korea's Ministry of Defense on November 2 showed that South Korea's F-15K fighter jets launched an air-to-surface missile at the maritime border of South Korea and North Korea. (Reuters)
In response, North Korea's Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Park Jung-chim condemned that night, "This is a major mistake, a very dangerous and wrong choice."
3 from 9:35 to 9:49 pm on the 3rd, North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles from the Gushan area in the north of Huanghai Province to the eastern waters.
Analysis: North Korea may conduct the seventh nuclear test
After North Korea launched the intercontinental ballistic missile in the early morning of the 3rd, the Japanese government immediately issued an alarm to the three counties including Miyagi , urging people to hide in buildings or underground places. The authorities later determined that the missile did not fly over Japan, but Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pointed out that "this is a violent move" and "untolerable."
Some South Korean analysts pointed out that North Korea's intercontinental missile failed again, which requires time to improve and will not be launched for the time being; next, North Korea may conduct its seventh nuclear test.
Kao Mingxian, a researcher at the Asan Policy Research Institute of South Korea, said that the Pyongyang wild-fired missile was caused by the joint air military exercise between South Korea and the United States, and the F-35 stealth fighter participated in the exercise. North Korea believes that South Korea and the United States deploy F-35 stealth fighter jets are mainly tasked with launching a "decapitation operation" against the North Korean leader.
Zheng Chengchang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute, said that the North Korean Air Force's equipment is quite outdated and the aircraft oil is not enough, so it is not trained enough.
North Korea launched more than 20 missiles on the 2nd. Bennett, an expert on North Korea at the United States' Rand Institute, estimated that it would cost about US$70 million (about S$100 million), which is enough for North Korea to buy food for one year.
North Korea launched more than 20 missiles on the 2nd. Bennett, an expert on North Korea at the United States' Rand Institute, estimated that it would cost about US$70 million (about S$100 million), which is enough for North Korea to buy food for one year.
