[Comprehensive] North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile into East Sea Just Before U.S. Presidential Election

Intent to Highlight the Failure of the Biden Administration's North Korea Policy

North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea on the 5th. It is analyzed as an attempt to maximize its presence by launching the missile six hours before the start of the U.S. presidential election.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On that day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced to the Ministry of National Defense press corps at around 7:34 a.m. that North Korea had launched an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea. The military is analyzing detailed specifications such as the type, flight distance, altitude, and speed of the missile fired by North Korea.

North Korea's military provocation came just five days after launching the new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) "Hwasong-19" on the 31st of last month.

The United States will sequentially begin the presidential election starting at 0:00 on the 5th (local time, 2 p.m. Korean time on the 5th) in Dixville Notch, a small mountainous village in northern New Hampshire. By carrying out the ballistic missile provocation about six hours before the start of the U.S. presidential election, it is also possible to analyze that North Korea aims to highlight the failure of the Biden administration's North Korea policy through repeated provocations and indirectly support former President Trump, who is running as the Republican candidate.

Some interpret this ballistic missile launch as a reaction to the joint air drills conducted by South Korea, the United States, and Japan. In response to North Korea's launch of the Hwasong-19, the three countries conducted joint exercises on the 3rd east of Jeju Island, involving the U.S. strategic bomber B-1B.

Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, stated in a statement before the missile launch that the drills were "the enemies' most hostile and dangerous aggressive nature," and claimed that "it proves the legitimacy and urgency of the nuclear force enhancement line we have chosen to implement."