According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on the 20th, the South Korean Joint Staff Headquarters observed at 8:25 a.m. on the same day that the DPRK launched a short-range ballistic missile from the area of South Pyongan Province towards the East Sea of North Korea, and the missile flew more than 600 kilometers and fell into the East China Sea. In recent days, North Korea has launched short- and medium-range missiles such as the Mars Cannon and the North Korean version of Iskander (KN-23) in response to a 10-day joint military exercise conducted by the ROK-US military alliance on the Korean Peninsula.
According to the report, this is the eighth launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea since the beginning of this year, and the South Korean Joint Staff Headquarters said on the 20th: "North Korea's successive launches of ballistic missiles are serious provocations that undermine the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and even the international community, clearly violating UN Security Council resolutions and should be stopped immediately." ”
South Korean media reported on the 19th that "25 minutes before the US strategic bomber B-1B arrived on the Korean Peninsula on the 19th, North Korea may have demonstratively launched a missile." On the 19th, Yonhap News Agency wrote in another report that the "Freedom Shield" joint military exercise included the US B-1B strategic bomber flying to the peninsula and conducting a joint air military exercise.
According to the plan, B-1B bombers taking off from the US mainland entered the combat area of the peninsula at about 11:30 on the 19th, while North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile at about 11:05 on the same day. For this launch, analysts believe that North Korea may have observed that the US B-1B flew to the Korean Peninsula and launched missiles in response, which also confirms that the Korean People's Government is no longer afraid of US strategic deterrence.
On 19 July, Kim Jong-un inspected the DPRK's nuclear missile forces and expressed satisfaction with the nuclear missile launch training conducted for four consecutive days on 16, 17, 18, and 19 December, saying that he had achieved the predetermined training target, played a very good nuclear deterrent role for US imperialism and the South Korean puppet regime, and would make the provocateurs pay a heavy price for the enemies who dared to continue to provoke the Korean people.
