Ahead of US poll, North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles

Japan's Defence Ministry says missiles believed to have already landed at sea and there were no immediate reports of damage

Seoul: North Korea on Tuesday fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, the South Korean military said, as the country continued its weapons demonstrations hours before the US presidential election.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately specify the number of missiles detected or how far they flew. Japan’s Defence Ministry said the missiles were believed to have already landed at sea and there were no immediate reports of damage.

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The launches came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a flight test of the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile designed to reach the US mainland.

In response to that launch, the United States flew a long-range B-1B bomber in a trilateral drill with South Korea and Japan on Sunday in a show of force. That drew condemnation from Kim’s powerful sister, who on Tuesday accused North Korea’s rivals of raising tensions with “aggressive and adventuristic military threats.”

South Korean officials have said that North Korea was likely to dial up its military displays around the US presidential election to command the attention of Washington. South Korea’s military intelligence agency said last week that North Korea has also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test.

Outside officials and analysts say North Korea eventually hopes to use an expanded nuclear arsenal as leverage to win concessions such as sanctions relief after a new US president is elected.

There are widespread views that Kim would prefer a win by Republican candidate Donald Trump, with whom he engaged in high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018-19, seeing him as a more likely counterpart to give him what he wants than Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

During campaigning, Trump boasted about his personal ties with Kim, while Harris said she won’t “cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who are rooting for Trump.” North Korean state media claimed last week that the Hwasong-19 it tested on October 31 was “the world’s strongest” ICBM, but experts say the solid-fuel missile was too big to be useful in a war situation.

Experts say North Korea has yet to acquire some critical technologies to build a functioning ICBM, such as ensuring that the warhead survives the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.