The Department of Defense revealed on Thursday that North Korea launched two missile tests in the last couple weeks.
The tests, which Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a Thursday statement were conducted on Feb. 26 and March 4, involved a “new” intercontinental ballistic missile system that the North Koreans are developing.
These launches “did not demonstrate ICBM range,” Kirby continued, and it “was likely to evacuate this new system before conducting a test at full range in the future.”
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The United States decided to reveal the news of the tests, which North Korea “chose not to publicize,” because “we believe that the international community must speak in a united voice to oppose the further development and proliferation of such weapons by the DPRK.”
Earlier this week, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command decided to increase its surveillance in the Yellow Sea and enhanced its readiness to its ballistic missile defense forces in the region.
“The United States strongly condemns these launches, which are a brazen violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, needlessly raise tensions and risk destabilizing the security situation in the region,” Kirby continued.
The White House is imposing new sanctions on North Korea over the tests.
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“This is a serious escalation by the DPRK,” the senior administration official said, adding that “unlike its past tests, DPRK tried to hide these escalatory steps.”
The Treasury Department will announce penalties on Friday intended to stop advances in North Korea’s weapons program, targeting the country’s access to tools and technology. The official declined to preview the measures further but said to expect additional actions in the days that follow.
