Key Points
- North Korea has launched seven ballistic missiles in just over two weeks.
- Now, it has been announced they were 'tactical nuclear drills'. How significant is this, and is it cause for concern?
North Korea's were designed to simulate targeting its southern neighbour with tactical nuclear weapons as a warning in response to large-scale navy drills by the South Korean and US forces, state news agency KCNA says.
The latest ballistic missiles were launched early on Sunday, according to officials in Seoul and Tokyo, making it the seventh such launch in just over two weeks.
So how significant is this, and are these launches cause for concern?
How many missiles has North Korea launched?
On September 25, South Korea's military said North Korea had fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the eastern sea, just days after a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived ahead of joint drills.
Four days later, ahead of a visit from United States Vice President Kamala Harris, North Korea reportedly fired two missiles off its east coast.
Following the visit from Ms Harris, missile launches were also reported on September 29 and October 1.
On 4 October, the Japanese government warned citizens to take cover as North Korea fired a ballistic missile over the country.
On Thursday 6 October, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles, the same day Seoul, Tokyo and Washington carried out fresh exercises involving a US navy destroyer from the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier's strike group.
The most recent missiles were fired on Sunday, 9 October.
Why is North Korea launching missiles?
According to KCNA, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided exercises by nuclear tactical operation units over the past two weeks, involving ballistic missiles with mock nuclear warheads, saying it was to deliver a strong message of war deterrence.
The tests reportedly simulated striking military command facilities, main ports, and airports in the South, and were conducted in response to a large-scale mobilisation of US and South Korean naval forces, including an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine.
The United States and South Korea held joint maritime exercises involving a US aircraft carrier on Friday, and naval forces of South Korea, Japan and the United States also conducted joint drills before that.
KCNA reported North Korea had no interest in negotiations with its "enemies".
"Even though the enemy continues to talk about dialogue and negotiations, we do not have anything to talk about nor do we feel the need to do so," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
What has the reaction been, and is it cause for concern?
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo after the 4 October missile launch, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called North Korea's actions "barbaric".
On Saturday, Japan's defence ministry said North Korea's missile launches "cannot be tolerated".
Following North Korea's statement on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office said "it is important to accurately recognise the severity of security issues in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia to prepare properly."
In the short term, the primary concern is whether North Korea will launch a nuclear test.
If North Korea does resume nuclear testing, analysts have said it could include the development of smaller “tactical” warheads meant for battlefield use and designed to fit on short-range missiles such as the ones tested recently.
South Korean and US officials say there are signs North Korea could soon detonate a new nuclear device in underground tunnels at its Punggye-ri Nuclear Test site, which was officially shuttered in 2018.
Analysts say putting small warheads on short-range missiles could represent a dangerous change in the way North Korea deploys and plans to use nuclear weapons.
Following the launch of the missile that went over Japan, Associate Lecturer in Korean studies at the University of Western Australia Caleb Kelso-Marsh told SBS News these sorts of shows of strength should not be downplayed.
“I think the easy thing is because it is becoming more and more regular to sort of brush that off," he said.
"But the reality is that it's quite concerning, particularly the more and more erratic that North Korea seems to become in these efforts, and more unpredictable is what is doing is most concerning, so absolutely, you should be concerned.”
