North Korea fires ballistic missiles as US aircraft carrier prepares for drills with South Korea

A file image of a missile launch by North Korea is shown on a news program at Seoul Station in Seoul, Sunday. North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile Sunday into the East Sea in an apparent protest against a U.S. aircraft carrier that visited South Korea for joint military exercises. AP-Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea, Sunday, in what appears to be a protest against U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan's arrival in Busan for a combined exercise with the South Korean Navy.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the North fired one ballistic missile from Taechon County, North Pyeongan Province at 6:53 a.m. The military said the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) flew approximately 600 kilometers to a maximum height of 60 kilometers at a speed reaching Mach 5.

Intelligence officials of South Korea and the U.S. believe the North launched a variant of the KN-23, also known as the North Korean version of the Russian Iskander-M, from a transporter erector launcher.

This is the 19th missile that the North has fired this year and the fifth missile provocation since the conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May. Monday's launch came 113 days after Pyongyang launched eight SRBMs on June 5.

A day earlier, the military detected signs that the North was set to launch submarine launched ballistic missiles, which may pose a greater threat to Seoul's national security. But the JCS sees a slim chance of the latest launch being an SLBM, given the missile on Sunday was fired from inland.

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier is docked in Busan, Friday. The visit is the nuclear-powered carrier's first in five years amid growing threats from North Korea. UPI-Yonhap

Experts said Sunday's launch appears to be the North's protest against a scheduled joint maritime exercise in the East Sea, involving the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group. The aircraft carrier, along with cruiser USS Chancellorsville and destroyer USS Barry, docked in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Friday for the exercise, which will take place from Monday until Thursday.

"The distance between Taechon Airport in the North and Busan Port is about 620 kilometers," said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "If the North was to launch the missile toward Busan, not into the East Sea, the missile could reach the carrier. Pyongyang has used similar tactics in the past."

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, center, speaks with Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, left, commander of the Carrier Strike Group 5, during his visit to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in Busan, Saturday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

The JCS refused to elaborate on its analysis into why the North fired the missile from Taechon, and said an SRBM is inappropriate for striking an object in the sea. But some experts are saying an aircraft carrier can be a target given its size and maneuverability.

Soon after the launch, standing members of Seoul's National Security Council held a meeting and denounced the launch as "a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula and its surroundings."

The members also said the government will reaffirm its strong intention to neutralize any type of North Korean missile provocation and upgrade the combined defense capability through the upcoming joint exercise with the strike group.

The meeting was participated by Seoul's National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han, Foreign Minister Park Jin and other ranking officials in charge of national security. President Yoon Suk-yeol did not participate in the meeting.