International

North Korea test-fires 7 missiles

BEIJING: Defying sanctions imposed by the United Nations, North Korea on Saturday test-fired up to seven short-range missiles in a move that is set to further increase tensions in Northeast Asia.

South Korean media reported that seven short-range ballistic missiles were test-fired from the east coast on Saturday morning, and all missiles landed in the Sea of Japan. The missiles had a range of up to 500 km, long enough to reach South Korea and Japan. Both countries strongly condemned the tests as “an act of provocation”.

The tests come a little more than a month after the country conducted a nuclear test as well as several long-range missile tests. North Korea already faces a number of U.N. sanctions that prohibit the testing of missiles. Following last month’s nuclear test, the U.N. Security Council on June 12 passed a resolution expanding sanctions against the country, calling for freezing financial transactions into North Korea, tighter inspections of cargo and an arms embargo.

But the sanctions seem to have achieved little. The latest round of tests, which took place on the United States Independence Day, is seen by many as an act of defiance against the U.N.’s actions. “Although the missiles fired on Thursday appear to be part of routine military drills, the recent scud missiles seem to have political purposes as they were fired a day before the U.S. Independence Day,” a South Korean defence official told the country’s Yonhap news agency. The tests are also significant in the context of North Korea’s domestic politics, and are seen as a show of strength by ailing leader Kim Jong-Il as he prepares for the succession of his son, Kim Jong-Un.

The latest round of tests comes just as China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei begins a tour of Russia, South Korea, the U.S., and Japan to discuss the crisis on the Korean peninsula. Following Saturday’s tests, Russia and China called for calm. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement “the two countries had agreed that all sides should refrain from any steps that could further destabilise the region.”

Mr. Wu would use his visit to “expound on China’s position and have an in-depth depth exchange of views with relevant parties on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and the situation in Northeast Asia,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters here last week. He said China favoured bringing about “denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, consultation and the Six-Party Talks.”

China, North Korea’s closest ally, is seen by the U.S. and South Korea as having the most influence on the country, but its pressure has so far achieved little. China has been reluctant to come down hard on its strategically significant neighbour, maintaining the two countries still enjoyed “normal state-to-state relations.” Last month, China reportedly objected to some of the U.S.’s suggested sanctions as being too severe, and has repeatedly called for an “appropriate and balanced” response to the tests. North Korea is heavily dependent on China for both financial and food aid, and China has not yet taken the step of curtailing supplies of either.

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