North Korea continues missile launches, criticises US carrier move

Name: Fire caused by failed South Korean missile test sparks fears of attack from North
Uploaded: 2022-10-06T02:10:11.000Z
Duration: 1 min 19 s
Description: Fire caused by failed South Korean missile test sparks fears of attack from North

Launch came soon after North Korea condemned the US for redeploying an aircraft carrier to waters near the Korean peninsula, saying it escalated tensions

Further provocations may be coming as the US, Japan and South Korea said Pyongyang may be ready to conduct its first nuclear test in five years

Reading Time:2 minutes

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North Korea launched two ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters on Thursday, as the US redeployed an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula in response to the North’s recent launch of a powerful missile over Japan. Photo: AP

Bloomberg

Published: 10:10am, 6 Oct 2022Updated: 10:17am, 6 Oct 2022

North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles towards waters off its east coast on Thursday, adding to one of its largest barrage of tests under leader Kim Jong-un that included its first launch of a rocket over Japan in five years.

The launch came soon after North Korea condemned the Biden administration for redeploying the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group to waters east of the peninsula, saying the move escalated tensions. The group first arrived in the South Korean port of Busan in late September and conducted drills that included Japan and South Korea – a move that Pyongyang protested.

“The DPRK is watching the US posing a serious threat to the stability of the situation on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity by redeploying the carrier task force in the waters off the Korean peninsula,” the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on state media, referring to the country’s formal name.

In September, North Korea revised its nuclear laws, with leader Kim Jong-un declaring his country an “irreversible” nuclear power.

01:19

Fire caused by failed South Korean missile test sparks fears of attack from North

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea appeared to have test-fired two short-range missiles from an area near Pyongyang at 6.01 and 6.23am. The first missile reached an altitude of about 100km (60 miles) and travelled 350km while the second reached an altitude of 50km and flew about 800km, Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters.

The aircraft carrier group was redeployed on Wednesday to waters between South Korea and Japan, Yonhap News Agency reported, making a rare U-turn that came as Kim has launched about 10 missiles in less than two weeks.

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North Korea continues missile launches, criticises US carrier move

Launch came soon after North Korea condemned the US for redeploying an aircraft carrier to waters near the Korean peninsula, saying it escalated tensions Further provocations may be coming as the US, Japan and South Korea said Pyongyang may be ready to conduct its first nuclear test in five years

Launch came soon after North Korea condemned the US for redeploying an aircraft carrier to waters near the Korean peninsula, saying it escalated tensions

Further provocations may be coming as the US, Japan and South Korea said Pyongyang may be ready to conduct its first nuclear test in five years