North Korea Fires Suspected Ballistic Missile Before US Vote
(Bloomberg) — North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast in a further ratcheting up of tensions just hours ahead of the US election.
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The missiles were fired from an area south of Pyongyang in North Hwanghae province toward waters off its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. At least seven missiles flew around 400 kilometers with a maximum altitude of about 100 km, Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said. They’re believed to have splashed down in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, he added.
The firing of the missiles comes a day after Pyongyang’s foreign minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, adding to concerns over deepening military ties between the two nations and the implications for the war in Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been trying to raise the profile of his nuclear and missile programs as the US readies for its Nov. 5 presidential election. On Friday, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that achieved a record flight potentially allowing Kim to load heavier warheads to deliver a nuclear strike to the US mainland.
South Korea’s military said it has heightened its defense posture and is sharing information with the US and Japan to analyze the details of the latest launch. North Korea usually does not comment on its missile firings until the following day.
In Moscow, Putin met with the visiting foreign minister from North Korea, Choe Son Hui, according to the Tass news agency. The meeting follows Kim’s decision to send troops to Russia to help the Kremlin’s assault on Ukraine, a development that has raised fears over an escalation of the conflict.
Kyiv said on Monday it engaged North Korean troops for the first time since they were sent into Russia’s Kursk region where the Ukrainian forces have made gains this year. The US said it couldn’t confirm reports of North Korean combat engagement.
North Korea is dispatching about 10,000 troops to Russia, with the US and its allies trying to dissuade Pyongyang from engaging in direct combat with Ukraine. Choe said during a meeting with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday that North Korea will stand with Russia “until the day of victory.”
In return for sending troops, there’s a “high chance” that North Korea will seek cutting-edge technology transfers from Russia — including technology related to tactical nuclear weapons, ICBMs, reconnaissance satellites and ballistic missile submarines, South Korea has said.
Seoul has warned for months that North Korea may carry out a nuclear test around the US election. In September, North Korea released its first photos of a facility to enrich uranium for atomic bombs, showing Kim touring a plant at the center of a program that has been a point of friction with the US for more than 20 years.
(Adds more details on launch, foreign minister meeting)
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