(Seoul) North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Sunday, according to the South Korean military, carrying out its seventh weapons test since the beginning of the month.
Posted at 6:25 p.m.
Updated at 7:20 p.m.
The last time North Korea conducted so many tests was in 2019, after talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-US President Donald Trump broke down.
Since then, talks between the two countries have been deadlocked and the North Korean economy is struggling under international sanctions and the border closures that the country has imposed on itself to protect itself from COVID-19.
“North Korea fired an unidentified projectile towards the East Sea,” South Korea’s general staff said in a statement.
The Japanese coast guard meanwhile declared to have detected the launch of a “possible ballistic missile”.
Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang has embarked on a new series of tests, including of hypersonic missiles, which follows a speech by leader Kim Jong-un in December, reaffirming its commitment to modernization of the Army.
Pyongyang has already conducted two tests this week and conducted at least four more this month, saying it launched hypersonic missiles on January 5 and 11, among others.
On Friday, the North Korean agency KCNA published images of Mr. Kim visiting an arms factory. In one of these photos, we see him beaming, wearing his usual long black leather jacket with a belt, surrounded by uniformed officials, whose faces are blurred.
The latest tests prompted international condemnation and a closed meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
In retaliation, Washington also imposed new sanctions, angering North Korea, which hinted last week that it could resume nuclear and long-range weapons testing because of the ‘hostile’ policy. the United States.
Pyongyang has not tested intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons since 2017, and continued to observe a moratorium even after dialogue with the United States stalled.
These North Korean trials come at a delicate time for the region: China, the only major ally of the North Korean regime, is hosting the Winter Olympics in February and South Korea is holding a presidential election in March.
Pyongyang prepares to celebrate 80and anniversary of the birth of Kim’s father, the late Kim Jong-il, in February, then the 110and birthday of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the country’s founding leader, in April.