'Military judgment, operational security cited'

'This missile required precise analysis'

KCNA reported Saturday that North Korea conducted a live-fire test of a 600mm large-caliber multiple rocket launcher it named "Sniper" on Sunday. [Yonhap]
KCNA reported Saturday that North Korea conducted a live-fire test of a 600mm large-caliber multiple rocket launcher it named "Sniper" on Sunday. [Yonhap]

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday it does not publicly announce every North Korean projectile launch, defending its decision not to immediately disclose information about a ballistic missile Pyongyang fired last weekend. The military said it makes "comprehensive military judgments" that take into account the protection of its surveillance and reconnaissance assets and capabilities, as well as operational security.

Joint Chiefs spokesperson Jang Do-yeong made the remarks at a briefing Monday, adding that the military had detected signs of the missile launch in advance and tracked the entire flight from launch to landing.

Asked whether same-day announcements are standard practice for ballistic missile launches, Jang said it has been the military's practice to announce such launches because they constitute a violation of UN Security Council sanctions. "In this case, the missile required a high level of precise analysis," Jang said.

North Korea announced through KCNA on Sunday that it had fired a "tactical ballistic missile with a scatter warhead (cluster munition warhead)" on Saturday. The Joint Chiefs had not immediately disclosed information about the launch at the time.

North Korea's ballistic missile launches violate UN Security Council Resolution 1718, adopted in 2006. Resolution 2397, adopted in December 2017, also prohibits all launches using ballistic missile technology.

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs said it has found no confirmation of North Korea operating loudspeakers directed at the South, despite earlier concerns that Pyongyang might activate such broadcasts last month.


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