July 2, 2024
SEOUL – North Korea launched two ballistic missiles Monday, with the South Korean military presuming that at least one of them could be the KN-23 short-range ballistic missile supplied to Russia for use against Ukraine on the battlefield.
The missile launches notably coincided with a key party meeting, presided over by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un since Friday, where crucial domestic and foreign policies are being deliberated, around a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rare visit to Pyongyang.
South Korea’s military detected North Korea firing two ballistic missiles at 5:05 a.m. and 5:15 a.m., respectively, in a northeast direction from the Changyon-gun area in South Hwanghae Province, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The first short-range ballistic missile flew around 600 kilometers, which the JCS presumed to be the KN-23, also known as the Hwasong-11.
North Korea similarly launched two Hwasong-11 missiles from the Changyon area, both of which flew approximately 610 kilometers, on March 14, 2023.
However, the second ballistic missile flew only 120 kilometers, which JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun attributed to the “possibility of the missile experiencing an abnormal flight in the initial stage.”
Lee mentioned that if the missile “exploded during abnormal flight, there are chances that debris might have fallen inland.”
The area 120 kilometers northeast is within North Korea’s inland region, near the capital city of Pyongyang.
Lee also noted the possibility that North Korea may have been testing a new weapon.
The missile launches occurred five days after North Korea’s claimed successful test to develop missiles carrying multiple warheads, which South Korea dismissed as “deception and exaggeration,” noting the missile exploded midair after an abnormal flight pattern during ascent.
In a parallel development, North Korean state media on Monday reported that the enlarged meeting of the 10th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea continued Sunday, for a third consecutive day since it began Friday.
Since 2021, North Korea has convened a multiday party plenum every June to conduct a midyear review and to prepare for the second half of the year.
The party plenum has garnered greater attention given that it comes after Kim and Putin signed a treaty to elevate ties between Pyongyang and Moscow to a comprehensive strategic relationship as well as strengthen economic and military cooperation.
On the third day, participants conducted an “in-depth study of the draft resolutions to be submitted to the plenary meeting,” North Korean state media reported Monday.
Kim also delivered an “important speech clarifying the main orientation of the work for the second half of the year and important tasks for resolving the immediate policy-oriented issues” on Saturday, state media said Sunday, without further details.
The party plenum serves as a platform to discuss and announce key domestic and foreign policies during the years when the party congress is not in session. The most recent meeting, held at the end of 2023, marked a significant shift as Kim redefined inter-Korean relations as “hostile” and “belligerent.”
Another key aspect of the party plan is that, for the first time since Kim Jong-un assumed office in December 2011, party cadres were seen sporting pins featuring solely his portrait, seen in photos from the second day of the plenum released by the Korean Central News Agency.
Officials and people in North Korea typically don pins with portraits of the late founder Kim Il-sung and late leader Kim Jong-il.
The Unification Ministry assessed on Monday that the first appearance of the badge was in line with the “idolization of Kim Jong-un which has been promoted in earnest” since the Eighth Party Congress in 2021, marking the 10th year of his rule.
Portraits of the three Kims were publicly displayed for the first time in May at the inauguration ceremony of the newly built central cadres training school. Additionally, North Korea has refrained from using the term “Day of the Sun,” a revered expression for the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung on April 15, deputy Unification Ministry spokesperson Kim In-ae explained in a regular briefing.
“The spate of trends idolizing Kim Jong-un is seen as part of an effort to downplay the legacy of previous leaders, while establishing his status as an independent leader,” Kim said at the briefing.
“Additionally, this is viewed as an attempt to strengthen internal unity and secure the ruling legitimacy amid growing public discontent due to economic hardships and the influx of external influences such as Hallyu,” Kim added.