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North Korea carried out another ballistic missile test
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
North Korea launched a local "unidentified missile" towards the Japanese Sea on Tuesday morning," reported South Korea's army. According to the Japanese agency, Kyodo was a single ballistic missile.
Japanese sources say that the rocket did not reach the Japanese economic zone's waters and fell off the eastern coasts of North Korea.
The missile test coincided with North Korean Ambassador Kim Song's speech to the UN at the General Assembly, in which he said "his country has a legitimate right to test weapons and strengthen (its) defence capabilities."
"No one can deny North Korea the right to self-defense in order to develop, test, manufacture and possess weapons systems," said Kim Song, while calling on the United States to stop "an enemy policy".
"We are only strengthening our national defence capabilities to defend ourselves and reliably guarantee the security and peace of our country," emphasised the North Korean diplomat.
He added that the U.S. should in practice prove that they have no bad will towards Pyongyang. "If that is the case, we are ready to respond in the same way, but it seems that the United States is not ready to turn in this direction," said Kim Song and demanded Washington to stop military exercises near North Korea.
This is the third ballistic weapons test this month by the North Korean regime. On September 11, and 12, Pyongyang tested long-range maneuvering missiles that flew 1,500 km.
Three days later, North Korea. conducted a test of two short-range missiles which were fired from the railway platform and after passing 800 km fell into the Japanese economic zone waters.
Despite many international sanctions, North Korea led by Kim Jong Un has significantly increased its military capabilities. Pyongyang conducted, among others, several nuclear tests and successfully tested ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States.
At the January meeting of the ruling party Kim Jong Un announced further nuclear reinforcements and the construction of "the most powerful military force". Pyongyang accuses Washington and Seoul of hostile intentions and maintains that rocket and nuclear weapons protect him from invasion.
Nuclear negotiations between the US and North Korea. are at a dead end since the collapse of the summit involving then American President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in February 2019.
After taking office as President of the United States, Joe Biden ordered a comprehensive review of US policy towards the North Korean regime to identify all possible options in the face of the growing threat posed by North Korea.
Source: PAP
