The arms race on the Korean peninsula is accelerating.

Within a few hours, North and South Korea tested their own missiles on Wednesday.

In the early afternoon at 12:34 p.m. and 12:39 p.m. local time, the North Korean military first tested two short-range missiles.

According to the United Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean military, they were fired from the region around the city of Yangdeok inland and flew about half a mile into the East Sea between Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Anna Schiller

Volunteer.

  • Follow I follow

The rockets are said to have been of the KN-23 type, reports the South Korean news agency Yonhap. In terms of trajectory and external appearance, the missiles are similar to the Russian Iskander model. Analysts assume that it was either developed with Russian help or North Korea recreated it independently. In the course of previous tests of the missile type, the North Korean military had continuously expanded the range of the missiles. With its short range and the ability to be armed with nuclear warheads, the model would be of strategic importance in the event of a military conflict with South Korea. With the test, North Korea is again violating resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

A few hours later, South Korea tested a submarine-based ballistic missile for the first time.

The test was successful and the missile hit its target in the intended trajectory, said a government spokesman.

President Moon Jae-in is said to have witnessed the test at the Agency for Defense Development, which is developing weapons for the South Korean military.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Moon said his country will continue to build defense capabilities to cope with North Korea's asymmetrical warfare.

Connection with diplomatic meetings

The South Korean government also announced that the military had successfully tested an air-to-surface missile.

The weapon system is compatible with South Korea's specially developed KF-21 Boramae fighter aircraft, which is currently under development.

The Ministry of Defense subsequently published video footage of the maneuvers and announced previous tests of other weapon systems.

In the morning, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in Seoul.

On the sidelines of the talks, according to the Yonhap news agency, he is said to have said that North Korea - like other countries - was carrying out military maneuvers.

We have to work together to resume dialogue with North Korea.

The day before, Sung Kim, the United States' special envoy for North Korea, met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Tokyo. In the past, North Korean missile tests often coincided with diplomatic meetings. North Korea uses the stage of political talks to put pressure on its protective power China and the other parties to the conflict.   

The tests carried out by the South Korean side indicate that the country will increasingly rely on its own defense capacities in the conflict with North Korea. Under President Donald Trump, the United States and South Korea were only able to agree on a distribution of defense spending after long negotiations. South Korea then increased its defense budget. The current American administration had signaled several times that it would be available for talks with representatives of North Korea. The North Korean side has not yet responded to the offer to talk.