The South Korean and U.S. militaries detected and tracked multiple projectiles in real time between 7:27 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. on June 25 and closely coordinated against any possible contingencies, the Defense Ministry said.
“The projectiles were tactical-class weapons systems operated by North Korea,” ministry deputy spokesperson Lee Kyung-ho told a regular briefing. “Their detailed specifications will be assessed after a joint South Korea-U.S. analysis.”
Asked why the military had not announced the launches that day, Lee said officials had been analyzing the relevant specifications before deciding what information to release publicly.
“We detected and tracked them in real time,” Lee said. “As for notifying the public, we make a judgment after analyzing the necessary specifications.”
Reporters noted that the military has often announced suspected ballistic missile launches within minutes, even before completing a detailed analysis.
Lee said the latest case involved multiple projectiles and required additional analysis before the military could reach a conclusion.
He did not directly answer when asked whether the military had mistaken the launches for multiple rocket fire and failed to detect the ballistic missiles.
“We were still analyzing various pieces of information and had not reached a conclusion,” he said.
The tests included tactical ballistic missiles, an upgraded 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher system and a 155-millimeter self-propelled howitzer, according to the North’s state media.
After Pyongyang’s announcement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected more than 10 projectiles, including artillery rockets, launched from North Korea’s eastern region and was conducting a detailed analysis.
The delayed disclosure prompted criticism from opposition lawmakers, who questioned whether the military had failed to distinguish the ballistic missiles from the artillery rockets or had withheld the information for political reasons.
Some analysts said reported U.S. limits on intelligence sharing may have slowed the military’s assessment. The restrictions were reportedly imposed after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young publicly identified Kusong as a suspected uranium enrichment site, raising concerns in Washington over the handling of sensitive intelligence.
The ministry rejected such speculation, saying military information-sharing and coordination between South Korea and the U.S. had remained operational in real time.
Lee said individual launch cases could not all be treated in the same way, but the ministry did not specify the threshold for publicly announcing a launch or when its final assessment would be completed.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Business Daily 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지
