[Summary] North Korea Missile Launch Failure... Closely Monitoring Additional Launches

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] North Korea launched an unidentified projectile on the morning of the 16th, but it failed. The projectile did not soar into the sky at the moment of launch, so it is unclear whether it was a ballistic missile, but the intention to continue provocations is clear.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said on the same day, "North Korea launched from the Pyongyang Sunan area at 9:30 a.m., but it is presumed to have failed immediately after launch, and South Korea and the U.S. are conducting additional analysis."

North Korea conducted ballistic missile test launches twice using the first-stage propulsion unit of the new ICBM 'Hwasong-17' at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport on the 27th of last month and the 5th of this month.

South Korea and U.S. authorities judge that there is a possibility of missile launches at any time in specific areas, including the Pyongyang Sunan Airfield area.

The U.S. recently deployed the RC-135V (Rivet Joint) and on this day sent the Cobra Ball (RC-135S) reconnaissance aircraft over the Korean Peninsula. The RC-135S, which departed from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, is equipped with state-of-the-art electro-optical equipment capable of tracking ballistic missile trajectories from a long distance. This reconnaissance aircraft, specialized in detecting and tracking ballistic missiles, is known to have flown over the Seoul metropolitan area and the West Sea, conducting reconnaissance around the North Korean Sunan area.

South Korea and the U.S. are also reportedly closely monitoring signs of restoration work focused on the entrance of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which collapsed during demolition four years ago.