North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the ocean Saturday in an odd show of military strength during a crippling global health crisis. The projectiles were fired around 6:45 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. from western North Korea, both flying roughly 255 miles cross-country before landing in waters off the eastern coast in the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean military officials.
Japan reported the projectiles didn’t reach Japanese territory, the Associated Press reported. South Korea and the U.S. were analyzing the launches. It wasn’t immediately clear what weapons North Korea tested, but flight data suggested the North could have tested a mobile, solid-fuel missile system that it first demonstrated last year. The testing is the third round of short-range launches and other military exercises this month.
Kim Jong Un started the year promising to boost the country’s nuclear deterrent after talks with the U.S. collapsed. “Such military action by North Korea is highly inappropriate at a time when COVID-19 is causing difficulties worldwide,” Seoul’s military said, calling for an “immediate stop”. Japan’s Defense Minister Taro Kono suggested Pyongyang’s demonstrations also could be aimed at “bracing the regime together” as COVID-19 spreads worldwide.
North Korea has yet to report a single case, despite sharing a border with China, where the outbreak began. A top U.S. military official said last week he is “fairly certain” there are infections in North Korea. The nation started building a hospital this week and has quarantined at least 10,000 people.
