North Korea Continues to Rattle Sabers with Short-Range Missiles Launches

North Korea continues to be the kid in the back of the class who isn’t the largest or toughest, is far from the smartest or most successful, and is truly anything but popular—yet, it wants everyone to know it is there. That was made clear on Monday as it fired “several” short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast.

According to a report from the Associated Press, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the weapons were launched from a site near the capital of Pyongyang and flew about 300 kilometers (185 miles) before crashing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The ranges would serve to suggest the missiles could likely strike targets in South Korea.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, also told reporters that Pyongyang launched at least one ballistic missile, which flew 250 kilometers (155 miles) at a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometers (30 miles).

Ignoring Bans

U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from launching both ballistic missiles and satellites. The world body’s Security Council adopted nine major sanctions resolutions on North Korea in response to the country’s nuclear and missile activities since 2006.

In addition to imposing sanctions, the resolutions gave U.N. member states the authority to interdict and inspect North Korean cargo within their territory, and subsequently seize and dispose of illicit shipments. In addition, it called upon North Korea to rejoin the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which it acceded to in 1985 but withdrew from in 2003 after U.S. allegations that the country was pursuing an illegal uranium enrichment program.

Russia and China, which had both voted to approve all Security Council resolutions against the North, have tried unsuccessfully to require the sanctions to be renewed annually, Reuters reported.

There have also been reports that North Korea is developing hypersonic weapons, while there is speculation that Pyongyang has aided Iran in developing ballistic missiles, including those that were fired at Israel earlier this month.

North Korea: A Satellite State

The U.N. further considers a North Korean satellite launch a test of its prohibited ballistic missile technology. Yet, last November, North Korea went forward with the launch of a military satellite in violation of the resolutions. However, there remain widespread doubts about its capability. In late December, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed that his nation would launch three additional military spy satellites in 2024.

South Korea’s military warned on Monday that it had detected evidence that North Korea is preparing for a spy satellite launch but there are no signs that it’s imminent.

“While North Korea’s activities preparing for an additional military satellite launch have been consistently detected, there are no imminent signs of a launch,” Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a regular press briefing on Monday. “It is hard to predict the timing, but we are closely monitoring such activities.”

Seoul officials have also speculated that North Korea’s progress in its space program was the result of technological assistance from Russia following the rare summit between Kim and Russian president Vladimir Putin in September 2023.

South Korea has also moved forward with its own military satellites and launched its second reconnaissance satellite into space on April 8 under a plan to acquire five military spy satellites by 2025 to better monitor North Korea. It first launched a spy satellite last December.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image Credit: KCNA Screengrab.