북한, 탄도미사일 2발 발사..."인천아시안게임 참가하나?"

Published : Jul 13, 2014 - 15:22 Updated : Jul 13, 2014 - 15:22

북한이 13일 새벽 개성 북쪽지역에서 동해 상으로 스커드 계열로 추정되는 단거리 탄도미사일 2발을 발사했다고 합동참모본부가 밝혔다.

합참의 한 관계자는 이날 “북한은 오늘 새벽 1시20분과 1시30분께 등 2회에 걸쳐 동해 상으로 단거리 탄도미사일 2발을 발사했다”며 “이 발사체의 사거리는 500여㎞ 내외로 판단된다”고 밝혔다.

이 관계자는 “북한이 단거리 탄도미사일을 발사한 지점은 개성 북쪽으로, 군사분계선(MDL)에서 불과 20여㎞ 떨어진 지점”이라면서 “군사분계선 부근에서 탄도미사일 시험발사를 한 것은 매우 이례적인 일”이라고 말했다.

그는 “우리 군은 북한의 추가 발사에 대비해 감시를 강화하면서 만반의 대비태세를 유지하고 있다”고 전했다.

군 당국은 북한이 스커드 계열의 탄도미사일을 발사한 것으로 보고 있다.

특히 북한이 이날 미사일을 발사한 지점은 지난 9일 군사분계선에서 40여㎞ 떨어진 황해도 평산에서 탄도미사일 2발을 발사한 지점보다 더욱 남쪽으로 내려온 곳이다.

북한 탄도미사일 2발 발사에 네티즌들은 “탄도미사일 2발 발사, 인천아시안게임 실무회담 제의할 땐 언제고” “탄도미사일 2발 발사, 무슨 의도인지” “탄도미사일 2발 발사, 종잡을 수 없네” 등의 반응을 보였다.

(onlinenews@heraldcorp.com)

<관련 영문 뉴스>

N. Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from north of Gaeseong into the East Sea on Sunday, two days after a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in Busan to participate in a joint military exercise later this month.

The firing of apparent Scud missiles was the latest in a recent series of missile and rocket launches that Seoul officials say appear intended to show off the North’s military presence and create leverage in future negotiations with the South and the U.S.

“The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles, one at 1:20 a.m. and the other at 1:30 a.m. The projectiles are evaluated as having a range of some 300 km,” said an official at Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, declining to be named.

“The missiles were launched from north of Gaeseong, just 20 km away from the Military Demarcation Line. It is very unusual for the North to launch missiles from areas close to the MDL.”

The official added that the South Korean military was keeping closer tabs on the North Korean military’s movements and maintaining a top readiness posture to deal with additional provocations.

Last Wednesday, the communist state fired two short-range ballistic missiles from Pyongsan, North Hwanghae Province, which is some 40 km away from the MDL.

A Seoul official said that by launching the missiles from Gaeseong, the North wanted to show that it was capable of making surprise launches from any place at any time. He also noted that the North might have been expressing discomfort over the arrival of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.

On Saturday, the North’s powerful National Defense Commission said that the deployment of the aircraft carrier was a provocation that hinders efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.

“(The deployment) is an anachronistic military folly. With many pending inter-Korean issues (left unresolved), the South should understand that it is the time for it to make the right decision,” said the commission in a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.

The 97,000-ton aircraft docked at a naval base in Busan on Friday. It will join the Search and Rescue Exercise, a humanitarian exercise involving South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, from July 21-22. The SAREX exercise is to take place off Jejudo Island.

Meanwhile, the South and the U.S. were in talks over raising the issue of North Korea’s missile provocations at an anti-Pyongyang sanctions committee of the U.N. Security Council. The allies believe that the North has violated all UNSC resolutions that ban any use of ballistic missile technology.

The North has fired a total of 97 short- or mid-range projectiles over a total of 14 days this year. The projectiles include Scud and Rodong missiles, and FROG (free rocket over ground) short-range surface-to-surface rockets.

(sshluck@heraldcorp.com)