Seoul (EFE).- North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan in apparent response to the arrival in South Korea on Wednesday of a US submarine loaded with atomic weapons and to the holding of the first meeting of the so-called Council Consultation Center (NCG) between Seoul and Washington.
The South Korean army detected the two missiles launched “into the East Sea (the name given to the Sea of Japan in the two Koreas) from the Sunan area (near Pyongyang) between 3:30 and 3:46 today (6:30 p.m. and 18:46 GMT on Wednesday)”, explained the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in a statement.
“North Korea’s ballistic missiles landed in the East Sea after flying about 550 kilometers each, and the detailed specifications of these missiles are being thoroughly evaluated by the intelligence authorities of the Republic of Korea (official South name) and USA”, adds the text.
Meeting between Seoul and Washington
The North Korean launch comes just hours after the NCG held its first meeting in the South Korean capital.
After the session, the coordinator for the Indo-Pacific of the US National Security Council, Kurt Campbell, announced the arrival in Busan (350 kilometers southeast of Seoul) of the USS Kentucky submarine, an atomic-powered submarine with the capacity to carry nuclear ballistic missiles (SSBNs). ), the first of its kind to visit South Korea in about 40 years.
Both the establishment of the NCG and the dispatch of the submarine were agreed upon last April with the signing of the Washington Declaration by the presidents of the US and South Korea, Joe Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol.
In the document, the US promised to reinforce the so-called “extended deterrence”, through which it protects its ally and seeks to discourage Pyongyang from continuing with the development of weapons of mass destruction.
What is the NCG?
The NCG is a bilateral mechanism for coordinating US responses to possible North Korean attacks, including the nuclear option.
The North Korean Ministry of National Defense already condemned the US plan to send the SSBN to South Korea early last week.
Soon after, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un, accused the US of conducting air raids, and on July 12 the regime launched its most sophisticated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong- 18.
Today’s release also comes after a US soldier crossed the border into North Korea on Wednesday during a tourist visit, where he is currently being held.