Pyongyang made its third projectile fire in eight days on Friday, according to Seoul, when US President Donald Trump said the tests were "no problem" for him.
Several UN Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from launching ballistic missile launches, and several members of the UN executive have condemned this renewed military activity in Pyongyang. This was not the case of the leader of the White House who, thanks to the relaxation that appeared in 2018 on the Korean peninsula, met three times in a year North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. I do not have a problem, we'll see what happens, but short-range missiles are very common, "he told reporters.
An unusual speed for a short-range missile
Many experts believe that North Korean military trials are aimed at increasing pressure on the United States. On Friday morning, the North fired from its east coast two projectiles that flew over a distance of about 220 kilometers with an unusually high speed for a short-range weapon. The flight profile was relatively similar to that of the projectiles tested on Wednesday and the South Korean presidency probably saw a "new type of short-range ballistic missile". On Thursday, KCNA, the North Korean central news agency, said it was a "test shot of a multiple-guided, large-bore rocket launch system."
Last week, Pyongyang had already launched two projectiles described by Seoul as short-range ballistic missiles, one of which had traveled about 700 kilometers. Kim Jong Un was "encouraged" by his handshake with Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone, says Washington Center's Jean Lee, and seeks to "give a sense of urgency to the Korean peninsula to strengthen its position before nuclear negotiations ". "This is his response to Donald Trump's assertion that there is no 'no urgency' in negotiating a nuclear deal," she said.