South Korea’s military says it has stepped up surveillance of future North Korean missile launches and is “carefully sharing information” about today’s launch with the US and Japan.
Today’s launch also comes amid South Korea’s political chaos that has engulfed the country in the weeks since the ouster of President Yoon Suk-yeol a short-lived attempt at martial law in December.
Yun, who was stripped of his presidential powers after lawmakers voted to impeach him, now faces arrest. The Constitutional Court is also deciding the issue of his removal from office.
Pyongyang previously mocked Yun’s declaration of martial law “crazy act” and accused Yun of “brazenly brandishing the blades and guns of a fascist dictatorship against his own people.”
The international community considers North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a dictator. The Kim family has ruled the hermit country for decades, developing and promoting a cult of personality.
Pyongyang last fired missiles in November, a day before the US presidential election, when it launched at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.
Earlier this week, the US demonstrated its might on a long-range bomber during trilateral military exercises with South Korea and Japan, prompting condemnation from Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong.
