Coronavirus: Amid first Covid outbreak, North Korea fires ballistic missiles in warning ahead of Joe Biden’s visit to Asia
- Thursday’s launches were the North’s first weapons fired since the inauguration of new conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday.
- The White House believes that Pyongyang could test a nuclear weapon this month for the first time in almost five years
North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Thursday, its neighbours said, the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations this year and one that came just hours after it confirmed its first case of the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
The launches could underscore North Korea’s determination to press ahead with its efforts to expand its arsenal despite the virus outbreak to rally support behind the leader, Kim Jong-un, and keep up pressure on its rivals amid long-dormant nuclear diplomacy.
North Korea has a history of rattling new governments in Seoul and Washington in an apparent bid to boost its bargaining chips in future negotiations. The North Korean nuclear threat is likely to top the agenda when Yoon meets visiting US President Joe Biden in Seoul next week.
South Korea, Japan and the US condemned the test of the weapons, which were launched from the North’s capital region on Thursday afternoon.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the launch when he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-han, according to a White House statement. The two also discussed President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea next week, Biden’s first to an Asian country during his presidency. Biden is also expected to visit Japan during the whirlwind trip.
The missiles plunged into the waters between North Korea’s eastern coast and outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said. There was no report of damage to aircraft or vessels.