North Korea Increases 'Provocation Frequency'... JCS Says "Trash Balloons Released Again"

Missiles in the Morning, Trash Balloons in the Evening
North Korea Increases Provocations Ahead of the US Presidential Election

North Korea, which launched several short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) early in the morning, has additionally released trash balloons. This comes just five days after revealing a highly enriched uranium (HEU) production facility used for manufacturing nuclear warheads, showing a pattern of increasing provocations through multiple methods.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced to the Ministry of National Defense press corps at around 7:16 p.m. on the 18th that North Korea is once again releasing objects presumed to be trash balloons aimed at South Korea.

On the morning of the 7th, a South Korea-directed balloon suspected to have been released by North Korea was found near Changchon-ri, Namsan-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Province. [Photo provided by Gangwon Provincial Fire Headquarters] [Image source=Yonhap News]

A Joint Chiefs of Staff official stated, "Depending on changes in wind direction, the balloons may move toward the northern Gyeonggi and Seoul areas," and urged, "Be cautious of falling payloads, and report any fallen balloons to the military or police."

North Korea fired missiles from early morning. The military detected several SRBMs launched northeastward from the Kaechon area in South Pyongan Province at around 6:50 a.m. The missiles flew approximately 400 km. They are estimated to be similar to an improved version of the KN-23 series SRBM launched from Jangyeon, South Hwanghae Province, in early July.

At that time, North Korea announced that the two missiles fired were test launches of the "new tactical ballistic missile Hwasongpho-11da-4.5." It was claimed to be a new missile equipped with a heavy warhead weighing 4.5 tons. One missile flew about 600 km, while the other is suspected to have crashed on land after flying only about 120 km.

Meanwhile, on the 13th, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Chairman Kim Jong Un inspected a nuclear weapons research institute and a weapons-grade nuclear material production facility. This was the first time North Korea publicly disclosed the inspection details and photos of a uranium enrichment facility, leading to assessments that this move might be aimed at interfering in the U.S. presidential election about two months away.