Seoul, December 18
North Korea test-fired a pair of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles with a range of striking Japan on Sunday, in a possible protest of Tokyo’s adoption of a new security strategy to push for more offensive footing against North Korea and China.
Pukguksong-2
N Korea likely tested its Pukguksong-2 missile, said a defence expert
It can fly about 1,200-2,000 kilometre and can be fired from submarines
Can strike US military installations in Japan
The launches also came two days after the North claimed to have performed a key test to build a more mobile, powerful intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the US mainland.
The two missiles travelled from the country’s northwest Tongchangri area about 500 kilometers (310 miles) at a maximum altitude of 550 kilometers (340 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to the South Korean and Japanese governments.
Japanese Vice Defence Minister Toshiro Ino separately criticised North Korea for threatening the safety of Japan, the region and the international community. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the launches highlight the destabilising impact of North Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.
Kwon Yong Soo, a former professor at Korea National Defence University in South Korea, said North Korea likely tested its Pukguksong-2 missile, a solid-fueled, land-based variant of its Pukguksong family of missiles that can be fired from submarines. Kwon said that flight details of the weapons tested on Sunday were similar to those of the Pukguksong-2’s two known tests in 2017.
Kwon said the Pukguksong-2 can fly about 1,200-2,000 kilometers (745-1,240 miles) if it’s launched at a normal trajectory, a range enough to strike key facilities in Japan, including US military installations there.
On Friday, the Japanese government adopted a national security strategy give itself more offensive footing against threats from neighbours. — AP
