According to the South Korean and Japanese governments, North Korea has tested three missiles from its east coast, including the suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Although, North Korea has been test-firing these missiles since the beginning of this year.
North Korea test-fired three ballistic missiles early Wednesday morning, hours after the president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, left the region after a five-day tour that saw him visiting South Korea and Japan.
South Korean government statement said, “North Korea’s sustained provocations can only result in stronger and faster South Korea- the U.S. combined deterrence and can only deepen North Korea’s international isolation.”
“(Our) government is maintaining constant readiness to strongly and effectively respond to any kind of North Korean provocation,” it further stated.
Furthermore, the South Korean military has confirmed that the first of the three projectiles were suspected ICBM reached a maximum height of 335 miles and flew about 360 km.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific earlier mentioned that launching such missiles signifies “the destabilizing impact of North Korea’s illicit weapon program,” however, they do not pose any threat to the US territories and its allies.
The command statement further highlights that the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan “remains ironclad.”
COVID-19 Crisis
North Korea first declared the outbreak of COVID-19 on 12th May, which highlighted concerns like lack of medical infrastructure and lack of vaccines.
South Korea has said that it has offered humanitarian aid at this juncture. However, Pyongyang has not responded yet.