North Korea fired two medium-range ballistic missiles Sunday, Seoul’s military said, days after Pyongyang announced a successful test of a solid-fuel motor for a new weapons system.
The missiles were fired from 11:13 am to 12:05 pm into the East Sea, it said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The South’s military “strongly” condemned Sunday’s launch, calling it a “serious provocation” and a “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions. Liquid-fuel rockets are notoriously difficult to operate and take a long time to prepare for launch, making them slower and easier for the enemy to spot and destroy.
The latest motor test was a step towards that goal, but it is not clear how far North Korea has come in the development of such a missile, analysts said.The isolated country’s policy direction for next year will be laid out at a key party meeting later this month, and the official Korean Central News Agency earlier reported Kim saying that 2023 would be a “historic year”.
Experts say while Kim refrained from directly addressing the United States last year, he could change his tone this time around.