SEOUL – The tension in the Korean peninsula continues to escalate as North Korea fired an apparent intermediate-range missile into the sea on Sunday, heightening concerns in the region. South Korea and Japan reported the missile launch, which comes on the heels of Pyongyang’s recent launches of an intercontinental ballistic missile and its first military spy satellite.
North Korea has been ratcheting up pressure on Seoul in recent weeks, declaring it the “principal enemy” and vowing to enhance its ability to deliver a nuclear strike on the U.S. and America’s allies in the Pacific. The missile, launched from the area of Pyongyang around 2:55 p.m., flew about 600 miles off the country’s east coast, according to South Korea’s military.
The maximum altitude was at least 30 miles, and the missile appeared to fall outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japan’s defense ministry said, criticizing the launch as a violation of United Nations resolutions. This latest provocation adds to the growing concerns about North Korea’s military capabilities and its willingness to challenge international norms.
In a further development, North Korean soldiers brought heavy weapons back to the Demilitarized Zone around the North-South border and restored guard posts that the two countries had demolished, after Seoul suspended part of a 2018 military accord between the two Koreas in a protest over Pyongyang’s launch of the spy satellite.
Amidst these developments, North Korea’s isolated government is forging closer ties with Moscow. Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday at the invitation of her counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the North’s KCNA news agency said on Sunday. This move has raised concerns about the deepening military relations between Pyongyang and Moscow, especially in the context of global geopolitical tensions.
“Pyongyang’s show of force should be of concern beyond Seoul, as its military cooperation with Moscow adds to the violence in Ukraine, and because it may be more willing to challenge the U.S. and its allies while global attention is fixed on the Middle East,” said Leif-Eric Easley, an international studies professor at Ewha Womans University.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual involved in the transfer and testing of North Korea’s ballistic missiles for Russia’s use against Ukraine. This move underscores the growing international concern about the nexus between North Korea’s military activities and its ties with Russia.
Tensions rise, but diplomacy remains crucial for both sides to avert a potential crisis.