First launch at 3 p.m., second at 6 p.m.

Joint Chiefs analyzing specifications, range of latest projectile

News coverage of North Korea's ballistic missile launches plays on a screen at Seoul Station on Aug. 20, when the North fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles in a single volley. [Yonhap]
News coverage of North Korea's ballistic missile launches plays on a screen at Seoul Station on Aug. 20, when the North fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles in a single volley. [Yonhap]

North Korea fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea on Sunday, roughly three hours after launching a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) in the same direction earlier that afternoon — continuing its show of force just two days after threatening a "retaliatory response" to a multinational maritime exercise involving South Korea and the United States.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea at around 6 p.m. Sunday. The Joint Chiefs said they are analyzing the projectile's specifications and range.

Earlier that day, North Korea had fired a single short-range ballistic missile from the Wonsan area into the East Sea at around 3 p.m.

That missile flew approximately 450 kilometers and is believed to be a Hwaseong-11 series missile, one of North Korea's signature SRBMs. If the second projectile is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it would mean North Korea launched two ballistic missiles roughly three hours apart.

The launches came shortly after North Korea signaled it would respond to recent multinational maritime exercises. In a statement released Friday, Kim Yo-jong, director of the Korean Workers' Party's General Affairs Department, denounced the US-led multinational maritime exercise "Pacific Vanguard" and other drills, threatening that a "retaliatory response proportionate to or exceeding" the exercises would be necessary.

With Sunday's launches coming just two days later, North Korea appears to have followed through on that threatened "retaliatory response."

Analysts also suggest the timing may be tied to upcoming diplomatic events on the international calendar. US President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly's general debate, which opens Tuesday (local time), and North Korea is expected to be on the agenda at a US-China summit on Thursday.

Against that backdrop, some analysts suggest North Korea's back-to-back launches are intended to reaffirm its longstanding position that building its nuclear deterrent and other military capabilities is non-negotiable.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com