On April 8, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into the eastern sea, amid rejection of hopes of de-escalating tensions with South Korea.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles were launched from the area near Wonsan at about 8:50 am, flying about 240km.
A day earlier, the South Korean military also detected a suspected ballistic missile launch from near Pyongyang. This object flew east but showed signs of abnormality in the early stages and disappeared.
South Korean and US officials are conducting a detailed analysis of the launches. Seoul considers this a provocative act, violating the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and calls on Pyongyang to end the tests.
The South Korean Presidential Office has convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to assess the situation. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to reject the UN bans, saying that those regulations violate the country's right to self-defense.
The developments occurred after senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official Jang Kum Chol affirmed that Pyongyang has not changed its position of considering South Korea as a hostile opponent. Mr. Jang Kum Chol said that Seoul is "illusioned" if it believes that relations between the two sides can improve.
This statement is contrary to the previous statement of Ms. Kim Yo Jong, younger sister of North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, which some opinions in Seoul considered a rare reconciliation signal. However, the North Korean side emphasized that it was just a warning, not goodwill.
Analysts believe that Pyongyang is quickly extinguishing optimistic expectations from South Korea, while continuing weapons testing activities to strengthen deterrence capabilities.
