North Korea launched an unidentified projectile suspected to be a ballistic missile into the sea off its eastern coast on Tuesday, Japanese and South Korean officials said.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missile was fired from the North’s central north province of Jagang at around 6:40 am local time. At the same time, the Japanese Defence Ministry reported that the launch “appears to be a ballistic missile.”
The news broke shortly before Kim Song, North Korea’s representative to the United Nations (UN), told the General Assembly that Pyongyang had the “righteous right” to test weapons due to the “hostile” policies targeting it.
Additionally, the diplomat called on the United States (US) to avoid engaging in joint military exercises in the region and withdraw its strategic weapons from around the Korean Peninsula. “If the US wants to see the Korean War, the most prolonged and long-lasting war in the world, come to an end, and if it is really desirous of peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, it should take the first step toward giving up its hostile policy,” he said.
North Korea often uses “hostile” to describe the US’ foreign policy against it, including the joint military exercises with South Korea, American troops on the Korean peninsula, and the UN’s sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programme.
The US State Department has condemned the North’s recent missile launch and urged Pyongyang to resume dialogue. “This launch violates multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK’s neighbours and the international community. We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK and call on them to engage in dialogue,” it said.
The missile launch and the ambassador’s comments are the latest in the series of mixed signals from North Korea. On Saturday, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said her country is willing to consider holding another summit with South Korea if mutual respect between the neighbours can be assured.
Speaking of the possibility of another inter-Korea summit, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim Yo Jong as saying: “I only hope that the South Korean authorities’ moves to remove the tinderbox holding double standards bereft of impartiality, the hostile policy toward the DPRK, all the prejudices and hostile remarks undermining trust are shown in visible practice.” DPRK, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is North Korea’s official name.
Last week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for an end to the Korean War during his UNGA address. “I call for a speedy resumption of dialogue between the two Koreas and between the United States and North Korea,” Moon said. Moon also urged the international community to “mobilise its strengths for the end-of-war declaration on the Korean Peninsula.” He proposed that “three parties of the two Koreas and the US, or four parties of the two Koreas, the US and China come together and declare that the War on the Korean Peninsula is over.”
North Korea called Moon’s proposal to end the war prematurely.