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Today (28th), the last day of the national defense exercise, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile for the first time in two weeks.

The government has assessed such provocations as routine, but is wary of larger provocations such as nuclear tests.



Reporter Kim A-young on the sidewalk.



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Two short-range ballistic missiles were fired from the Tongcheon area in Gangwon-do around noon today.



At an altitude of 24 km, the missile flew 230 km.



The speed was detected as Mach 5.



The military believes that it struck Al Island off the coast of North Hamgyong Province.



Due to the fact that it flew considerably lower than the flight distance, the possibility of the North Korean version of A-TaKims is being discussed.



[Shin Jong-woo / Expert member of the Korea Defense Security Forum: It is seen as an attempt to neutralize the Korean 3-axis system, KAMD.

From a defensive standpoint, the interception altitude and detection time are shortened, so the probability of failing to intercept is inevitably increased.]



North Korea's ballistic missile launch is the first in two weeks since the 14th.



It is noteworthy that the launch was launched on the last day of our military defense training in which some of the US forces participated. Next week, a large-scale South Korea-US air joint exercise in which 240 units including F-35 stealth fighters are mobilized is scheduled.



An official from the presidential office said that North Korea's provocations today were judged to be at a normal level, but that North Korea could launch a strategic provocation at any time after the Chinese party congress is over and the US midterm elections are approaching.



[Lee Jae-myung/Deputy Spokesperson for the President's Office: We also decided to closely monitor the possibility of North Korea's strategic provocations such as ICBM launches and nuclear tests.] The



ROK and US intelligence agencies believe that North Korea's seventh nuclear test preparations are complete, but the presidential office is conducting a nuclear test. If so, he warned that there would be epochal measures in deterring expansion.



(Video coverage: Park Young-il, Video editing: Park Ki-duk)