Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se says North Korea’s launch of a Nodong missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday further confirms the need to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) battery on the Korean Peninsula.
 
Yun made the remark to a reporter after attending a symposium at the National Assembly marking the effectuation of a public diplomacy law.
 
He said the latest missile launch is a good example that shows how the North’s missile threat is emerging as a clear reality.
 
The minister said the intent behind the North’s missile launch is viewed as complex as it always has been. He said the missile launch probably took into account Seoul and Washington’s plan to conduct their joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises later this month.
 
Yun said the series of missile provocations by Pyongyang this year also have a strategic intention and the latest launches were likely carried out in line with such intention.