North Korea responds to US, tests ballistic missiles

Seoul, Ta. Thursday, March 25, 2021

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Thursday for the first time since President Joe Biden took office in the United States. The move by North Korea following a confrontation in diplomacy with the United States signals a resumption of testing to put pressure on the Biden administration and increase its military capabilities.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the test was "dangerous for peace and security in Japan and the region" and that Tokyo would maintain coordination with the United States and South Korea on North Korea's activities.

The missile was launched off the east coast of North Korea at 7:06 a.m. and 7:25 a.m., South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The missiles covered a distance of 450 km before falling into the sea.

Capt. Mike Kafka, a spokesman for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said the U.S. military is aware of the missile and is monitoring the situation in consultation with its allies. "These activities prove that North Korea's illegal weapons program poses a threat to its neighbors and the international community," he said.

North Korea has conducted this test amid friction in the nuclear story with the US. The two countries clashed after a second summit failed in February 2019 between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former US President Donald Trump. During the talks, the United States rejected calls for North Korea to lift its sanctions in exchange for a partial shutdown of its nuclear program.

North Korea has so far ignored the Biden administration's negotiating efforts.

Also on Sunday, North Korea tested a short-range missile that was the first test since April 2020, according to a report from the South Korean Defense Ministry.