SEOUL
\nNorth Korea fired a ballistic missile Sunday, Seoul said, resuming a weapons-testing blitz following a month of relative calm during the Beijing Winter Olympics, and while the world focuses on Ukraine.
\nThe Sunday launch is Pyongyang\u2019s eighth so far this year, including test-firing its most powerful missile since high-profile negotiations between leader Kim Jong Un and then US president Donald Trump collapsed in 2017. Diplomacy has languished ever since.
\nDespite biting international sanctions, Pyongyang has doubled down on military development and last month threatened to abandon a self-imposed moratorium on firing long-range and nuclear weapons.
\nAnalysts had widely predicted Pyongyang would seek to capitalise on US distraction over Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday with new tests.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s military said Sunday it had detected a ballistic missile fired towards the Sea of Japan at 07:52 local time (2252 GMT Saturday) from Pyongyang.
\n\u201cThe latest ballistic missile has a range of around 300 kilometres and an altitude of around 620 kilometres and details are under close analysis by South Korean and US intelligence,\u201d it added. Japan also confirmed the launch.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s presidential Blue House expressed \u201cdeep concern and grave regret\u201d, and criticised the timing \u201cwhen the world is making efforts to resolve the Ukraine war\u201d.
\n\u201cWith the US interest shifted to Europe over the Ukraine crisis and the UN Security Council unable to function, Pyongyang is seizing the opportunity,\u201d Shin Beom-chul, a researcher at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, told AFP.
\nNorth Korea sees this as a perfect moment to \u201ccontinue its development of necessary weapons and to strengthen its nuclear arsenal\u201d, with a view to being recognised as a nuclear power, he added.
\nThe recent pause in testing during the Beijing Winter Olympics was seen as a mark of deference to key diplomatic ally and economic benefactor China.
\nThe latest launch also comes as South Korea gears up to elect its next president on March 9.
\nJapan\u2019s Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said the \u201crecent and rapid development of North Korea\u2019s missile related technology cannot be overlooked from the view of security of our country and this region\u201d.
\nNorth Korea is reeling economically from biting sanctions over its weapons programs and a lengthy coronavirus blockade, but continuing its \u201cambitious schedule of military modernisation\u201d is a top priority, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
\n\u201cThe Kim regime\u2019s strength and legitimacy have become tied to testing ever better missiles,\u201d he added in emailed comments.
\nOutgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who repeatedly pursued peace talks with the North during his five-year term, has warned that the situation could easily escalate.
\n\u201cIf North Korea\u2019s series of missile launches goes as far as scrapping a moratorium on long-range missile tests, the Korean Peninsula may instantly fall back into the state of crisis we faced five years ago,\u201d he said in a written interview with international press, including AFP, this month.
\nUnder Trump\u2019s successor Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its willingness to meet North Korean representatives, while saying it will seek denuclearisation.
\nBut Pyongyang has so far dismissed the offer, accusing Washington of pursuing \u201chostile\u201d policies.
\nDomestically, North Korea is preparing to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of late founder Kim Il Sung in April, which experts say Pyongyang could use to carry out a major weapons test.
\nRecent satellite images suggest that the North may be preparing a military parade to showcase its weapons to mark the key anniversary.
\n\u201cNorth Korea will be prudent about testing an intercontinental ballistic missile since it\u2019s the last remaining card that can put pressure on the United States,\u201d Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, told AFP.
\n\u201cSuch a card is only meaningful when you\u2019re holding it in your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL North Korea fired a ballistic missile Sunday, Seoul said, resuming a weapons-testing blitz following a month of relative calm during the Beijing Winter Olympics, and while the world focuses on Ukraine. The Sunday launch is Pyongyang\u2019s eighth so far this year, including test-firing its most powerful missile since high-profile negotiations between leader Kim Jong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-246783","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n