KCNA via Reuters
- North Korea launched more missiles Thursday, firing off two suspected short-range missiles, according to the South Korean military.
- The US military also conducted a missile launch Thursday, firing an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM into the Pacific.
- The two launches weirdly occurred at almost the exact same time. Air Force officials say the timing was a coincidence.
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North Korea fired off two suspected short-range missiles Thursday, marking the second time in a week the country has done so after more than a year without a missile launch.
The unidentified weapons were launched from Kusong at 4:29 pm and 4:39 pm (local time) and flew 420 km and 270 km respectively, according to South Korea’s semi-official Yonhap News Agency reported.
They splashed down in the East Sea afterwards, the agency said.
Thursday’s test comes on the heels of another test conducted last Saturday (local time). During an impromptu exercise, North Korean troops fired off rocket artillery, as well as a new short-range ballistic missile that some observers have compared to Russia’s Iskander missile.
Read more: Kim Jong Un launched a barrage of rockets and missiles in an unexpected show of force
Before last Saturday’s "strike drill," North Korea had not launched a missile since it tested the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017.
The self-imposed freeze has long been perceived as a sign of good faith as Pyongyang negotiated with Washington and Seoul, negotiations that have hit several unfortunate speed bumps.
US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ian Dudley
Interestingly, at almost the exact same time as North Korea was launching its missiles Thursday, the US troops almost 6,000 miles away were doing the same thing, just with a much bigger missile.
At 12:40 am (local time) Thursday, a US Air Force Global Strike Command team launched an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The unarmed ICBM flew over 4,000 miles.
Air Force officials told Fox News that the timing of the American and North Korean launches was a coincidence.
Thursday’s Minuteman III ICBM test marks the second time in just over a week the US has tested one of its missiles, launching the weapon into the Pacific.
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See Also:
- US deploys bombers in the Middle East as show of ‘unrelenting force’ against Iran threats, Bolton says
- Kim Jong Un launched a barrage of rockets and missiles in an unexpected show of force
- North Korea fired several mysterious projectiles into the sea, sparking fears it’s testing missiles again
Source: Business Insider – rpickrell@businessinsider.com (Ryan Pickrell)