North Korea Fires Short-range Ballistic Missile to "Welcome" U.S. Aircraft Carrier to S.Korean Port

In what appears to be a protest against U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan’s arrival in Busan to take part in joint drills with the South Korean Navy, the North fired a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) into the East Sea.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Pyongyang fired one ballistic missile from Taechon County, North Pyeongan Province at 6:53 a.m. The SRBM reportedly flew approximately 600km to a maximum height of 60km at a speed reaching Mach 5.

Intelligence officials of South Korea and the U.S. believe the North launched a variant of the KN-23, also known as the North Korean version of the Russian Iskander-M, from a transporter erector launcher, South Korean media reported.

This is the 19th missile that the North has fired this year and the fifth missile provocation since the conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May. Monday's launch came 113 days after Pyongyang launched eight SRBMs on June 5.

USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, along with cruiser USS Chancellorsville and destroyer USS Barry, docked in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Friday for a scheduled exercise with South Korean Navy, which will take place from Monday until Thursday.  This marked the first time the carrier has pulled into Busan in almost five years.

"The distance between Taechon Airport in the North and Busan Port is about 620km," said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "If the North was to launch the missile toward Busan, not into the East Sea, the missile could reach the carrier. Pyongyang has used similar tactics in the past."

The JCS refused to elaborate on its analysis into why the North fired the missile from Taechon, and said an SRBM is inappropriate for striking an object in the sea. But some experts are saying an aircraft carrier can be a target given its size and maneuverability.