North Korea launches several short-range ballistic missiles ahead of Trump's inauguration
North Korea on Tuesday morning, a few days before US President-elect Donald Trump took office, tested several short-range ballistic missiles.
Here's What We Know
This was reported by Yonhap with reference to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea, Ukrinform reports.
The missiles were launched at around 9:30 a.m. local time from the northern province of Jagang, flew about 250 kilometres and fell into the Sea of Japan.
Today's test was the second in two weeks of the new year. The previous time, on 6 January, North Korea launched a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, according to Pyongyang.
A new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile. 6 January 2025. Illustration: Reuters
JCS notes that these launches are an attempt to send threatening signals to the next US administration ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration on 20 January. A similar situation occurred on 5 November last year, when the DPRK conducted a ballistic missile test a few hours before the start of voting in the US presidential election.
Seoul condemned North Korea's actions as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a blatant provocation that threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea has assured of the readiness of its army, together with its allies from the United States and Japan, to counter any aggressive actions by Pyongyang.
Source: Yonhap
