JABAR EKSPRES – North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday (7/19), after a US nuclear ballistic missile submarine arrived alongside the inauguration of the South Korea-US security dialog, the South Korean military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from Pyongyang’s Sunan region at 3.30 and 3.46 a.m., and the missiles flew up to 550 kilometers before falling into the sea.

The JCS denounced the launch as a “clear act of provocation” that undermines the security of not only the Korean Peninsula but also the international community, as well as a “clear violation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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“Our military will maintain strong readiness based on the ability to respond to any North Korean provocation. ” the JCS said in a short message sent to reporters.

Meanwhile, the presidential office held a security monitoring meeting chaired by Deputy National Security Advisor Lim Jong-deuk, according to a presidential office official.

The missile launch came after South Korea and the US opened a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting in Seoul a day earlier to enhance the US commitment to expanding deterrence by using all military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its allies.

The meeting coincided with the arrival of the USS Kentucky at the main naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, marking the first port visit by an American nuclear-capable strategic submarine (SSBN) since the USS Robert E. Lee in March 1981.

Earlier, Pyonyang test-fired its Hwasong-18 solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 12.