North fires four projectiles in an hour

Travelers at Seoul Station watch news about the North's firing of four projectiles into the Yellow Sea on Sunday morning. [YONHAP]

North Korea fired four projectiles into the Yellow Sea on Sunday, military authorities in the South said.

Pyongyang fired four projectiles from what was believed to be a multiple rocket launcher in South Pyongan Province into the Yellow Sea for about an hour from 7:20 a.m., said Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

If the details are confirmed, it would be the first time the North fired projectiles from a multiple rocket launcher since the two Koreas agreed at a summit in September 2018 to reduce military tensions.

The launch came hours before President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced his intention to move the presidential office from the Blue House to the Defense Ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul.

Pyongyang has been ramping up its weapons testing this year, firing over a dozen missiles including last Wednesday, when it fired an unidentified projectile from an airfield near Pyongyang. Suspected to be a long-range ballistic missile, the test failed.

Experts see more coming.

“It is expected that North Korea will soon test a similar type of missile to the one launched on March 16, after analyzing the cause of the launch’s failure and making the necessary technical remedies,” said Cheong Seong-chang, senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, a Gyeonggi-based think tank.

The North’s missile tests on Feb. 27 and March 5, held near Sunan Airport, were believed to have been tests of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to South Korean and American intelligence.

The Hwasong-17 was first unveiled at an Oct. 10, 2020 military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party. It was also displayed at a defense exhibition in Pyongyang last Oct. 12.

With an estimated length of 23 meters (74.5 feet) and a 2.3-meter diameter, the Hwasong-17 is the largest ICBM in the world.

A satellite image taken of the airport on Thursday showed continued activities, including around 50 vehicles positioned at the airport, according to monitoring group 38 North.

“The presence of so many vehicles is unusual to what would be expected after a missile test from this or any launch location,” the group said on Thursday. “It is likely they are involved in post-test clean-up efforts, such as clearing contaminated brush from the infield.”

Seoul's National Security Council met on Sunday to discuss the North’s latest test.

“The council analyzed the details regarding the launch, based on information provided in joint cooperation with the United States,” said Park Kyung-mee, Blue House spokesperson, in a statement Sunday. “The council emphasized that the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance will maintain a tight readiness posture so that a security gap does not occur in the period of government change.”

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]