Pyongyang says the missile tests are ‘defensive’ against the US

A North Korean spokesman justified the latest launch into the Sea of ​​Japan

KCNA via REUTERSNorth Korea has carried out several launches in recent days

A spokesman for the National Aviation Administration North Korea Its latest releases said this Saturday (local date). Missiles A move to “defend” against America. “This is a routine and planned defensive operation to protect the country’s security and regional peace from direct US military threats that have lasted for more than half a century,” the spokesman said in reports gathered by North Korean state news agency KCNA. Pyongyang also criticized the Security Council’s position UN, met this week to discuss the recent escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, particularly after Tuesday’s launch of a medium-range missile that flew over Japanese territory that drew criticism from the international community. However, the meeting revealed the current split in the body, with Russia and China, the council’s permanent members with veto power, distancing themselves from a general condemnation of the launch. “The attempt by the United States and its proxies to prevent North Korea from exercising its right to self-defense is a flagrant violation of national rights contrary to the UN Charter,” the statement said. Pyongyang has launched six missiles in the past 10 days, significantly raising tensions in the region and starting after Seoul and Washington announced the return of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to waters off the Korean Peninsula. .

*With information from EFE