[Comprehensive] North Korea Fires 3 Ballistic Missiles... Are US Strategic Assets Coming?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] North Korea fired three ballistic missiles immediately after U.S. President Joe Biden completed his visits to South Korea and Japan. This marks the 17th show of force this year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) informed the press corps on the 25th via text message that “at approximately 6:00 a.m., 6:37 a.m., and 6:42 a.m., ballistic missiles launched by North Korea from the Pyongyang Sunan area were detected.”

The military authorities are currently analyzing the specific specifications such as range and altitude of the ballistic missiles launched by North Korea, but it is believed that short-range ballistic missiles were likely included.

North Korea has recently been preparing to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) around Pyongyang Sunan Airport. Military authorities note that President Biden left Japan late the previous afternoon, and internally in North Korea, the funeral (state funeral) of Marshal Hyon Chol-hae, who recently passed away, has concluded, and they claim that the COVID-19 outbreak is stabilizing. Therefore, there have been expectations that North Korea might begin provocations in earnest.

Kim Jun-rak, the JCS Public Affairs Officer, also stated at the Ministry of National Defense’s regular briefing on the morning of the 24th, in response to questions about North Korean military movements, “We assess that North Korea’s preparations for nuclear tests and missile launches have been completed.”

The missile launches on this day occurred the day after President Biden, who had visited South Korea and Japan sequentially from the 20th to the previous day, left Japan in the afternoon. This is analyzed as a show of force aimed at the outcomes of the South Korea-U.S. summit and the U.S.-Japan summit.

Additionally, it has been 13 days since North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles, presumed to be 'super-large multiple rocket launchers' (the North Korean term for multiple launch rocket systems), from the Pyongyang Sunan area on the 12th.

Recently, South Korean and U.S. military authorities have been preparing joint missile response measures in the Gangwon area in anticipation of a large-scale strategic provocation by North Korea. Depending on the level of the launches on this day, joint response measures between South Korea and the U.S. may be implemented for the first time in about 4 years and 10 months since July 2017. If the provocation involves ICBMs, attention will also focus on whether U.S. strategic assets will be deployed.

The JCS stated, “Our military is maintaining full readiness while strengthening surveillance and vigilance, closely cooperating between South Korea and the U.S.”