North Korea fires ballistic missile

• 

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Saturday, Seoul's military reported, which comprises the country's ninth this year only. 

Pyongyang test-fired a slew of weapons in January, including hypersonic and medium-range ballistic missiles, and last week, it launched another ballistic missile.

The eighth missile was launched on February 27, including a test-firing of its most powerful missile since high-profile talks between Kim Jong-Un and then-US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Diplomacy has been in decline since then.

Despite international sanctions over its nuclear weapons, Pyongyang has been conducting missiles tests as part of its redoubled efforts to modernize the military, threatening to end a self-imposed embargo on testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons in January.

The South Korean military announced Saturday that a "ballistic missile launched into the East Sea from the Sunan area around 08:48 am" had been detected.

Pyongyang's "unprecedented repeated firing of ballistic missiles," which threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world community, was criticized by South Korea's National Security Council, according to a statement released by the presidential Blue House.

Seoul will "even more thoroughly monitor North Korea's nuclear and missile-related facilities, such as Yongbyon and Punggye-ri", the statement added. 

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi confirmed the launch, stating the missile flew "at a maximum altitude of approximately 550 kilometers and a distance of approximately 300 kilometers."

He said the "extremely high frequency" of Pyongyang's weapons tests this year were "a threat to the region" and were "absolutely unacceptable".

See this: North Korea’s missile launches, a bold message

Not Ukraine 

Analysts had feared Pyongyang would conduct more tests to take advantage of the United States' diversion over Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

"With these tests, North Korea seems to be saying North Korea is different from Ukraine, reminding the world that it has its own nuclear weaponry system," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. 

"It's yet another demand for Washington to abolish the so-called 'hostile' policies against Pyongyang," he told AFP.

Last month, North Korea accused the United States of being the "root cause of the Ukraine crisis" saying in a statement on its Foreign Ministry's website that Washington "meddled" in the internal affairs of other countries when it suited them but condemned legitimate "self-defensive measures".

It is worth noting that the latest rollout coincides with South Korea's upcoming presidential election on March 9.

Under  Joe Biden, the US has frequently claimed it is open to meeting with North Korean officials while still pledging to pursue denuclearization while maintaining its and its allies' nuclear capabilities. 

Pyongyang, on the other hand, has rebuffed the offer, accusing the US of pursuing "hostile" policies.