North Korea stages ballistic missile provocation ahead of UN General Assembly, casting a pall over discussions on peace on the Korean Peninsula

[Financial News] North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on the 20th, the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS) said. The launch came eight days after North Korea fired several ballistic missiles on the 12th and marked its 14th ballistic missile launch of the year. Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency security situation review meeting, chaired by the Office of National Security (ONS), with the Ministry of National Defense and ROK JCS to discuss North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch.
ROK JCS said, "At around 3 p.m. today, we detected a ballistic missile launched from the area around Wonsan, North Korea, toward the East Sea."
South Korea and the United States are closely monitoring the provocation because it came ahead of discussions on peace on the Korean Peninsula at the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly, which begins in New York on the 22nd local time.
North Korea's missile provocation is interpreted as an attempt to send a strong message that it will not yield to international pressure against the country. It also appears to have been a demonstrative act ahead of the U.S.-China summit on the 24th, where the North Korea issue is expected to be discussed. Analysts say North Korea is seeking to raise its negotiating leverage with the United States and South Korea by steadily heightening military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The launch also appears to have been in response to the South Korea-U.S.-Japan drills. On the 12th, North Korea conducted a firepower assault drill involving mixed launches immediately after the conclusion of Freedom Edge, a trilateral exercise involving South Korea, the United States and Japan.
ROK JCS said, "South Korea, the United States and Japan are closely sharing relevant information and maintaining full readiness." Cheong Wa Dae's security office said, "We checked the response situation, analyzed and assessed the impact of this launch on our security, and reviewed the necessary measures."
It added, "North Korea's ballistic missile launch is a grave act that violates United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, and we urged it to stop immediately."



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