North Korea test-fired another mid-range missile Tuesday evening, but some South Koreans had another issue on their minds.
U.S. Pacific Command detected the launch and tracked the missile, reporting that the missile, a KN-15 mid-range ballistic missile, splashed down in the “Sea of Japan” a few minutes after it was fired.
North Korea is developing weapons for war, in this case, an improved solid-fueled, road-mobile intermediate-range missile, which requires less preparation time and is far less vulnerable to preemptive strikes, but apparently South Korean journalists in the press corp at the Ministry of Defense were preoccupied with USPACOM’s use of the name “Sea of Japan” in its official statement. South Korea argues the sea should be called the East Sea, reports Yonhap News Agency.
South Korea claims that the name “Sea of Japan” has ties to Japan’s colonization of the Korean peninsula in the twentieth century.
United States Forces Korea adjusted the name of the body of water, calling it the “East Sea” in its official statement on North Korea’s missile launch. “We are aware of the issue, which is not new,” a USFK official explained to reporters. “PACOM is just following the U.S. government position on the geographical name decided by its maritime-boundary agency.”
North Korea has been especially provocative in recent weeks. The North has tested a new type of ballistic missile — a solid-fueled, road-mobile, mid-range missile, fired off four ballistic missiles in a rehearsal for a strike on U.S. bases in Japan, tested multiple high-thrust rocket engines for a possible intercontinental ballistic missile, and tested — albeit unsuccessfully — an unidentified missile. Tuesday’s launch is North Korea’s latest provocation.
Despite North Korean aggression, historic tensions between South Korea and Japan continue to play a role in responses to crises on the peninsula.
For instance, unresolved tensions between the two countries derailed an intelligence-sharing agreement for many years. Furthermore, the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system is not fully integrated into the broader allied defense system for due to bitterness over Japan’s historical hostility.
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