The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired one ballistic missile into east waters from its west region, South Korea's Joint¹ Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Wednesday.

 

韩国参谋长联席会议周三表示，朝鲜在起领土西部地区向东部水域发射一枚弹道导弹。

 

The projectile² was launched eastward³ from South Hwanghae province at about 7:50 a.m. local time, a JCS official said on the phone. Further details are being analyzed⁴, the official added.

 

The launch came after the DPRK test-fired two medium-range Rodong ballistic missiles and one shorter-range Scud⁵ missile on July 19 in an apparent protest against the decision between Seoul and Washington to deploy⁶ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense⁷ on South Korean soil.

 

On July 8, South Korea and the U.S. abruptly⁸ announced an agreement to deploy one THAAD battery by the end of next year. Five days later, the deployment⁹ site was designated at Seongju county, some 250 km southeast of Seoul.

 

One day after the announcement, Pyongyang test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast to demonstrate against the THAAD deployment decision. In times of military conflict, it is hard to detect and track SLBM with THAAD's X-band radar¹⁰.

 

THAAD is incapable¹¹ of intercepting¹² Rodong and Scud missiles targeting South Korea as the DPRK missiles travel at an altitude of 20-30 km. The U.S. anti-missile system is designed to shoot down missiles at a much higher altitude of 40-150 km.

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