Senior S. Korean Official Says North’s Latest Launches Aimed at Ousting US Military Bases
People watch a TV showing an image of North Korea’s missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Missile launches conducted by North Korea are a provocation intended to break up the South Korean-US alliance and oust US military bases from the Korean Peninsula, Chung Jin-suk, leader of South Korea’s ruling party, said on Monday. “The purpose of North Korea’s provocations is clear. It is a strategic tactic aimed at breaking up the South Korea-U.S. alliance and ultimately driving out the U.S. Forces Korea from the Korean Peninsula through nuclear warheads and medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles,” Chung was quoted by South Korean news agency as saying. The official also said that North Korea’s “provocations are likely to continue” until the beginning of 2023, but Seoul “will maintain its unwavering deterrence against the North,” as quoted by the news agency. North Korea tested two ballistic missiles on Sunday morning. Both of them flew 500 kilometers (310 miles), reaching a maximum altitude of 550 kilometers, according to Japanese State Minister of Defense Toshiro Ino. Pyongyang said the test was part of the development of a reconnaissance satellite. Pyongyang has already fired dozens of missiles toward South Korea since the start of 2022, including an intercontinental ballistic missile test-launch carried out in November.
