South Korea's intelligence agency says it is looking into the possibility that a pair of missiles North Korea launched on Thursday were newly developed weapons.
According to Representative Lee Hye-hoon, who heads the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, and the committee’s ranking members from the rival parties, the National Intelligence Service(NIS) on Friday reported to parliament its responses to the North’s launches of what were presumed to be short-range missiles.
The NIS explained analysis is still under way regarding the possibility that they are new North Korean weaponry, but the missiles’ shooting ranges appear to cover the entire South Korean territory. The spy agency added the South Korean military also has weapons to put the whole of North Korea within their range.
When asked about foreign media reports that U.S. authorities assessed they were ballistic missiles, the NIS said it has yet to be confirmed as Washington’s official stance and that it is difficult to judge so only by the missiles’ exteriors.
The NIS said the missile launches may reflect Pyongyang’s discontent with the South Korean Defense Ministry after it declared the North’s projectile launches last Saturday constitute a violation of the spirit of the September 2018 inter-Korean military agreements.