Atomic agency: The world is "holding its breath" before a possible nuclear test by Pyongyang

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles ahead of Washington and Seoul air exercises

A TV screen shows a news broadcast with footage of a North Korean missile test at a railway station in Seoul.

AFP

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles yesterday, according to the South Korean army, in the latest missile launch by Pyongyang, and at a time Seoul warned that this could pave the way for another nuclear test, the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi announced that the world " holding his breath” ahead of a possible North Korean nuclear test.

In detail, the South Korean military said that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

The two missile launches came as South Korea concluded 12 days of naval amphibious military exercises, with the participation of the US ally, and before the start of joint air exercises with the participation of more than 200 US and South Korean combat aircraft on Monday.

The South Korean military said it "detected the launch of two ballistic missiles from the Tongchon area in Gwangwon between 11:59 (02:59 GMT) and 12:18", referring to a province located on the east coast of North Korea.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, "Our military has intensified monitoring and surveillance operations, and is on standby and in close coordination with the United States."

The two missiles traveled about 230 km at an altitude of 24 km, at a speed of Mach 5, according to the statement, which considered the launch a "dangerous provocation" that violated United Nations sanctions.

The US Indo-Pacific Command condemned the two missile launches, saying they confirmed the "destabilizing repercussions" of North Korea's banned weapons.

Seoul and Washington have repeatedly warned that Pyongyang may be on the verge of another nuclear test for the first time since 2017, after a series of ballistic missile launches in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Sok-yul announced to parliament that Pyongyang appeared to have "completed preparations for a seventh nuclear test".

Nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles, the latest missile launch in a record year.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the development of nuclear and missile weapons will only enhance regional security cooperation.

These statements came after a phone call between the South Korean envoy and his American and Japanese counterparts.

The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that a North Korean nuclear test would trigger an "unprecedented strong response" and vowed to close ranks among regional security allies.

Meanwhile, South Korea announced yesterday that it and the United States will conduct a major joint air exercise, involving about 240 military aircraft, to verify the allies' wartime operational capabilities amid growing threats from North Korea.

The five-day Vigilant Storm exercises are scheduled to begin next Monday, as Seoul and Washington are scrambling to sharpen deterrence, amid fears that Pyongyang may escalate tensions with a nuclear test or other provocative actions.

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Officials in Seoul said the exercise would be the US military's first deployment of F-35Bs in South Korea, in an apparent move by allies to highlight their combined air power in the wake of persistent military threats from Pyongyang.

In New York, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, announced yesterday that the world was “holding its breath” before a possible nuclear test by North Korea, which would be “new confirmation” that Pyongyang’s nuclear program was “advancing at full capacity.”

"Everyone is holding their breath, because another nuclear test will be new confirmation of a nuclear program that is moving in full force in an incredibly worrying way," Grossi told the press, on the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

"More testing means, of course, that they are improving their preparations and building their arsenal, so we're following that closely, we hope that won't happen, but unfortunately the indications are pointing in the other direction."

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