On December 31, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward South Korea. This was the latest missile launch by North Korea against their neighbours. Reportedly, five days before the incident, South Korea accused Pyongyang of flying five drones in South Korea’s airspace. It was the first such incident since 2017.
#BREAKING | North Korea fires ballistic missiles on New Year.
— Republic (@republic) January 1, 2023
Tune in – https://t.co/HbKDYgaNDs pic.twitter.com/ZVb9oLbS9K
In a statement, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea, said that at around 8 AM on Saturday (local time), three short-range ballistic missiles launched from North Korea into the East Sea were detected. In 2022, North Korea reportedly test-fired over 70 ballistic and cruise missiles. Some reports have quoted experts saying that North Korea is modernising its arsenal, keeping its future dealings with the United States in mind.
On Tuesday, informing about the drones entering South Korea’s airspace, the military apologised to the public as it failed to intercept and bring down any of the five drones. All the drones tricked the warplanes and helicopters of South Korea and vanished from the South Korean radar after crossing the border. They were seen traveling as far as northern Seoul.
Reportedly, a major ruling party meeting in Pyongyang took place recently to review the past policies and discuss the future goals for 2023. The missiles were launched while these meetings were ongoing in North Korea. Some experts believe that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would reaffirm his promise to expand the nuclear arsenal and introduce sophisticated weapons in the military on the pretext of dealing with so-called US hostility.
North Korea has not tested any nuclear weapons since 2017. In October last year, CBS News quoted US and South Korean officials saying that North Korea might test an atomic weapon soon.
