North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’ into Yellow Sea amid rising regional tensions
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’ into Yellow Sea amid rising regional tensions")
File photo: This handout photo taken on March 24, 2022 and provided by the South Korean Defence Ministry in Seoul shows an ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) projectile being launched from an undisclosed location around the East Sea (Sea of Japan), during a live-fire exercise after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. Photograph: (AFP)
North Korea has fired another mysterious projectile into the Yellow Sea, weeks after testing what it called cluster bomb warheads. Scroll down for full details.
North Korea on Tuesday (May 26) launched an "unidentified projectile" into the Yellow Sea off the country's west coast, according to South Korea’s military. In a brief statement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectile was launched toward the West Sea, the Korean name for the Yellow Sea, located between China and the Korean Peninsula. Officials did not immediately provide further details about the type of projectile or the distance travelled.
Was it a cluster bomb warhead?
The launch comes just a month after North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles in what state media described as a test aimed at verifying the "characteristics and power" of cluster bomb warheads.
Pyongyang has sharply accelerated weapons development since talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 without an agreement on denuclearisation. While Trump has repeatedly said he remains open to restarting dialogue with Kim, North Korea has so far ignored those overtures and insisted Washington must first drop demands related to nuclear disarmament.
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Xi Jinping to visit North Korea
The latest launch also comes at a politically sensitive moment in the region. Reports from South Korean media last week suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping could visit North Korea sometime this week, though neither Beijing nor Pyongyang has officially confirmed the trip.
At the same time, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for major upgrades to Seoul’s military capabilities during a Cabinet meeting. Lee stressed the need to strengthen artificial intelligence and drone technology and also floated the possibility of acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine.
Without directly mentioning North Korea during his remarks, Lee emphasised that South Korea must show the "resolve to take responsibility for and protect our own security ourselves," while also maintaining strong ties with the United States.
