By Jennifer Jett - NBC News
HONG KONG - The two Koreas conducted ballistic missile tests within hours of each other on Wednesday in a show of military force.
The exchange comes as the denuclearization dialogue with the US remains stalled since the failed 2019 Hanoi summit.
The launches intensify the arms race and tension as talks with the United States on nuclear programs have stalled and only two days after Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, announced that it had tested a new cruise missile.
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The Kim Jong-un regime's first arms activity in nearly six months came while President Joe Biden's envoy to North Korea, Sung Kim, was in Tokyo for talks with Japan and South Korea on how to end the war. diplomatic stalemate.
Wednesday's tests will likely give that effort new impetus, and add to the White House's foreign policy headaches.
The submarine-launched ballistic missile test makes South Korea the eighth known country to have developed such a weapon, joining its rival from the North, as well as the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and India.
It is the first country without nuclear weapons to have a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM).
Possession of the missile was first reported earlier this month, but was not confirmed by the government, which rarely makes public statements about weapons tests, until Wednesday.
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President Moon Jae-in observed the test Wednesday afternoon, his office reported, and the weapon "is expected to play a great role in self-sustaining national defense and peacemaking on the Korean peninsula."
The missile, launched from a 3,000-ton submarine, flew at the intended distance and hit its target with precision.
A news program reports on the missiles launched by North Korea on Wednesday, September 15, 2021.AP Photo / Lee Jin-man
Hours earlier, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles from the Yangduk area in South Pyongan province, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.
The missiles flew about 497 miles (800 kilometers) into the sea off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean Army reported that South Korean and US intelligence agencies were conducting a detailed analysis to obtain additional information and that the South Korean military had stepped up surveillance in the area.
In Japan, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed that North Korean weapons were believed to be ballistic missiles and called the launch "a threat to the peace and security of Japan and the region."
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"This is just outrageous," Suga said, adding that the missiles had landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone but that the government would monitor the area "more closely than ever."
Both South Korea and Japan said they would hold meetings of their national security councils.
The US Army's Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of North Korea's missile launch and was "consulting closely with our allies and partners."
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The launch "highlights the destabilizing impact" of North Korea's weapons program, although it does not pose an immediate threat to "US personnel or territory, or our allies."
On Monday, North Korean state media said a new long-range cruise missile had been tested twice over the weekend.
The missile was described as "a strategic weapon of great importance", suggesting that it could be North Korea's first nuclear-capable cruise missile.
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It is unknown if North Korea has been able to develop nuclear warheads small enough to be mounted on a cruise missile.
Unlike cruise missiles, ballistic missile tests are explicitly prohibited by United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea's weapons program.
Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, said North Korea's recent missile tests could dampen international hopes for dialogue.
"Despite its self-imposed pandemic blockade, North Korea continues to prioritize military modernization," he said.
Before this month, North Korea's most recent weapons activity was in March, when it tested a new short-range tactical ballistic missile.
It also launched a cruise missile hours after President Joe Biden's inauguration in late January, following its practice of testing new American leaders.
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Talks about dismantling North Korea's weapons programs have been stalled since 2019, when talks between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fell apart abruptly and without "any agreement" over the issue of US sanctions.
Although the Biden administration has signaled its openness to diplomacy, it has said there will be no relief from sanctions until North Korea makes progress toward denuclearization.
So far, Pyongyang has rejected Washington's proposals.
As nuclear envoys from the United States and their allies met on Tuesday, North Korea was also on the agenda of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's meetings with South Korean officials, including Moon, in Seoul on Wednesday.
As North Korea's largest trading partner, China is seen as having more influence over its government than the United States and its East Asian allies.
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Easley said launching the ballistic missiles while a senior Chinese official is in Seoul "makes Beijing appear unwilling or unable to stop Pyongyang."
Wednesday's test "underscores China's responsibility to do more to safeguard stability" in the region, he added.
