North Korea fires second missile as South salvages earlier weapon
Blast comes after South Korea identifies earlier test weapon launched by the North as a Soviet-era surface-to-air rocket
09 November 2022 - 12:48
by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith
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North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un oversees a missile launch at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this undated picture released on October 10 2022. Picture: KCNA/REUTERS
Seoul — North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, while South Korea said it had identified debris from an earlier launch that was part of a Soviet-era SA-5 surface-to-air missile.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected the launch of an unspecified ballistic missile from North Korea, but no further details, such as the projectile’s flight range, were immediately available.
Japan’s Coast Guard also tracked the missile, and said it appeared to have fallen into the sea minutes after the launch was reported.
The blast off came after South Korea concluded an analysis of what it had initially said was part of a North Korean short-range ballistic missile that landed near South Korean waters last week.
The analysis, however, showed the piece, about 3-metres long and 2-metres wide, was part of an SA-5 anti-aircraft missile, based on its appearance and features, the defence ministry said.
The ministry condemned the missile launch at the time, saying it was a breach of a 2018 inter-Korean military pact banning any activities stoking border tensions.
“This SA-5 missile launch was a clearly deliberate, intentional provocation,” it said in a statement. “The SA-5 also has characteristics of a surface-to-surface missile, and Russia has used similar missiles in Ukraine for surface-to-surface attacks.”
A South Korean Navy ship used an underwater probe to recover the missile, which came as the North test-fired multiple missiles last week, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile, in protest at joint air drills by South Korea and the US.
It was the first time a North Korean ballistic missile had landed near South Korean waters.
‘Aggressive war drill’
North Korea’s military said the launches were simulated strikes on South Korea and the US, adding they were an “dangerous, aggressive war drill”.
The SA-5 is an air-defence missile originally designed by the Soviet Union, where it was designated the S-200, to shoot down strategic bombers and other high-altitude targets.
The missile was exported worldwide, and is still in service in at least a dozen countries, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Missile Defense Project.
North Korea took delivery of SA-5 systems in the mid-1980s, according to The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songu”, a 2020 survey by Dutch researchers.
“Two sites equipped with these very long-range systems cover the entirety of North Korean airspace as well as a sizeable chunk of that of the South,” the researchers wrote.
“However, having been designed to counter strategic aircraft, their use against modern fast jets such as the F-15 and F-16 is questionable to say the least.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
North Korea fires second missile as South salvages earlier weapon
Blast comes after South Korea identifies earlier test weapon launched by the North as a Soviet-era surface-to-air rocket
Seoul — North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, while South Korea said it had identified debris from an earlier launch that was part of a Soviet-era SA-5 surface-to-air missile.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected the launch of an unspecified ballistic missile from North Korea, but no further details, such as the projectile’s flight range, were immediately available.
Japan’s Coast Guard also tracked the missile, and said it appeared to have fallen into the sea minutes after the launch was reported.
The blast off came after South Korea concluded an analysis of what it had initially said was part of a North Korean short-range ballistic missile that landed near South Korean waters last week.
The analysis, however, showed the piece, about 3-metres long and 2-metres wide, was part of an SA-5 anti-aircraft missile, based on its appearance and features, the defence ministry said.
The ministry condemned the missile launch at the time, saying it was a breach of a 2018 inter-Korean military pact banning any activities stoking border tensions.
“This SA-5 missile launch was a clearly deliberate, intentional provocation,” it said in a statement. “The SA-5 also has characteristics of a surface-to-surface missile, and Russia has used similar missiles in Ukraine for surface-to-surface attacks.”
A South Korean Navy ship used an underwater probe to recover the missile, which came as the North test-fired multiple missiles last week, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile, in protest at joint air drills by South Korea and the US.
It was the first time a North Korean ballistic missile had landed near South Korean waters.
‘Aggressive war drill’
North Korea’s military said the launches were simulated strikes on South Korea and the US, adding they were an “dangerous, aggressive war drill”.
The SA-5 is an air-defence missile originally designed by the Soviet Union, where it was designated the S-200, to shoot down strategic bombers and other high-altitude targets.
The missile was exported worldwide, and is still in service in at least a dozen countries, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Missile Defense Project.
North Korea took delivery of SA-5 systems in the mid-1980s, according to The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songu”, a 2020 survey by Dutch researchers.
“Two sites equipped with these very long-range systems cover the entirety of North Korean airspace as well as a sizeable chunk of that of the South,” the researchers wrote.
“However, having been designed to counter strategic aircraft, their use against modern fast jets such as the F-15 and F-16 is questionable to say the least.”
Reuters
North Korea fires two ballistic missiles after allied military drills
South Korea scrambles warplanes in response to North Korean military flights near shared border
North Korea fires artillery rounds into sea
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