MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. North Korea may repeat the situation of 2017, when its missile launches resulted in a sharp escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Sunday following a new missile launch by North Korea.
"The North may repeat the situation of 2017, when its launches of ballistic missiles of intermediate and long range brought about a crisis on the security track," the president said as he addressed a meeting of the National Security Council.
In 2017, North Korea made 20 launches of intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. This triggered a strong reaction from the international community, including the US. Severe sanctions were imposed against Pyongyang, restricting the country’s foreign trade. Things changed for the better in 2018, when North Korea made moves to de-escalate the conflict, stating its intentions to stop building nuclear forces in the country and to develop dialogue and cooperation.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile had been fired from North Korea’s province of Jagang at 07:52 local time (01:52 Moscow time). It flew about 800 kilometers at a top altitude of 2,000 kilometers, it said. This was Pyongyang’s biggest launch since the end of 2017, after its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
It was the seventh missile launch by North Korea this year.