North Korea's missile launch raises stakes before US elections
North Korea launched a volley of short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning local time, the South Korean military reported. "The series of Pyongyang's provocative acts came amid lingering concerns that the recalcitrant regime could engage in major provocations to bolster its leverage ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election in the United States," assessed the South Korean Yonhap news agency.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that around 6:50 AM local time (4:50 PM Tuesday Eastern Time), they detected the launch of North Korean short-range ballistic missiles from the Kaechon area in South Pyongan province, about 71 kilometres north of Pyongyang.
JCS stated that the missiles flew approximately 402 kilometres in a northeasterly direction, without providing further details, such as the number of missiles launched or the target area.
The missile launches were also confirmed by Japan.
"We strongly condemn North Korea's missile launches that are clear acts of provocation seriously threatening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," JCS said in a statement quoted by Yonhap.
Pyongyang enriches uranium
Last Friday, September 13th, North Korea revealed for the first time a military-purpose uranium enrichment facility. This occurred a day after launching several short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea. State media reported at that time that a new Hwasong-11Da4.5 missile was tested at its maximum and minimum range, adding that it can carry a 4,500-kilogram "super-large warhead."
Yonhap news agency pointed out that the intensification of Kim Jong Un's regime's "provocative" actions is seen as a show of strength ahead of the US presidential elections scheduled for November 5th and an attempt to raise the stakes in the next round of negotiations with Washington.
