MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2022) North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Sunday, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
On Saturday, the news agency reported that the South Korean military recently detected possible signs of preparations for the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launch in the North Korean city of Sinpo.
The launch of the missile took place amid the arrival of the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group in the port of the South Korean city of Busan to participate in the combined drills with the South Korean navy, the news agency reported, adding that the drills will be held in the Sea of Japan later this month.
North Korea intensified launches of ballistic missiles and other projectiles in 2022. Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang launched 18 missiles, compared to the eight missiles last year. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), North Korea spent $1,221 per minute on its nuclear program in 2021, or a total of $642 million. ICAN estimates that North Korea has 20 ready nuclear warheads. Pyongyang is developing nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from the ground and from submarines.
