South Korea's National Security Council has concluded the projectiles test-fired by North Korea on Thursday morning,... were a new type of short-range ballistic missiles.
Revealing their assessment, South Korean officials expressed deep concern that the North's actions could disrupt peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula.
Park Hee-jun reports.
South Korea's assessment of North Korea's projectiles launched on Thursday: A new type of short-range ballistic missile.
The conclusion was delivered during a National Security Council meeting presided over by Seoul's National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong.
It was a swift and surprising assessment, coming just 13 hours after the first missile was launched.
The assessment will be finalized after further analysis by Seoul and Washington.
The council also expressed concerns regarding the regime's unexpected action, which makes it more complicated to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
This is a different kind of response from when the North tested weapons back in May.
South Korea downplayed them as just short-range missiles.
It's the first time in over a year and a half since the new and relatively positive inter-Korean dialogue began,... that the South Korean government has defined North Korea's projectiles as "ballistic missiles".
The move is seen to have been made to display close coordination between South Korea and the U.S.,... and to send a strong message to North Korea.
If the missiles are confirmed to be of the ballistic variety,... the launches would be regarded as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from using such technology.
The North could face additional international sanctions.
It would also be considered a breach of the military agreement signed by the two Koreas last year.
And it calls into question,... the future direction of denuclearization talks between Pyeongyang and Washington,... amid efforts to restart them after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump met at the DMZ last month.
Also discussed at the National Security Council were possible measures to ensure the safety of civilian vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz amid a period of high tension between the U.S. and Iran.
The council also reaffirmed the South Korean government's stance that a Russian warplane did intrude into South Korea's airspace earlier this week.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.
