North Korea launches missiles the same as China's weapons, ex-US defense chief says

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N Korean Rogon missiles launched into Japanese sea during G20 in China
Believed to have been a 'show of force' to international leaders at summit
Dr Bruce Bechtol says missiles look 'exactly the same' as Chinese JL-1
If China sold North Korea arms, it would break international sanction pact

Published: 11:01 EST, 5 September 2016 | Updated: 17:20 EST, 5 September 2016

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The missiles launched by North Korea today could be proof that China is arming the rogue state and flouting international sanctions, a former US defence chief believes.

The country launched three medium-range missiles today that travelled 620 miles into the sea near Japan, believed to be a show of force for G20 leaders meeting for a summit in China this week.

And recent images of Korean missiles show that they are remarkably similar to the Chinese JL-1 and has led to suspicion that China is selling arms and technology to Kim Jong Un, the country's aggressive leader.

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Images of North Korean Rogon missiles (left) show that they look exactly the same as Chinese JL-1s, according to Dr Bruce Bechtol, formerly of the US Defense Intelligence Agency

The similarities could be proof that China is trading with Kim Jong-Un's (pictured) rogue nation, breaching international laws banning trade with North Korea

If this is true, it would mean China was ignoring the international sanctions banning trade with North Korea, which the communist state has been reluctant to enforce in the past.

Dr Bruce Bechtol, formerly of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, said: 'It looks like it's a solid-fuel missile just like the JL-1. Just looking at them, they're looking exactly the same,' reports The Daily Star.

North Korea has staged a series of recent missile tests with increasing range, part of a programme that aims to eventually build long-range nuclear missiles capable of striking the US mainland.

Such tests are fairly common when international attention is turned to north east Asia, and this one came as world leaders gathered in eastern China for the G20 summit of advanced and emerging economies.

China is North Korea's only major ally. Pictured is the late Kim Jong II (right), next to Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in June 2008

Among the leaders attending the summit are British Prime Minister Theresa May, US President Barrack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

China is North Korea's only major ally, but ties between the neighbours have frayed amid a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests and what many outsiders see as other provocations in recent years.

Dr Bruce Bechtol (pictured) said that the rockets look exactly the same

However, China has previously refused to inspect cargo going into the North, which could leave the door open for items to be imported that breach international law.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said today's ballistic missiles, all believed to be Rodongs, were launched from the western town of Hwangju and flew across the country before splashing into the sea.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff statement described the launches as an 'armed protest' meant to demonstrate North Korea's military capability during the G20 summit and days before the North Korean government's 68th anniversary.

In early August, another Rodong missile fired by North Korea also travelled about 1,000km, the longest-ever flight by that missile.

All three missiles on Monday fell in Japan's exclusive economic zone, the 200-nautical-mile offshore area where a nation has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources, according to Tokyo's Defence Ministry.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called the launches a 'serious threat' to Japanese security and said that Tokyo protested to North Korea via the Japanese Embassy in Beijing.

It is believed that Kim Jong Un (pictured) launched the missiles earlier today as a show of force to the leaders at the G20 summit in China

HOW THE SITUATION HAS BECOME MORE EXPLOSIVE IN RECENT MONTHS

In early August, another Rodong missile fired by North Korea also travelled about 1,000km, the longest-ever flight by that missile.

Last month, worries about the North's weapons programmes deepened after a missile from a North Korean submarine flew about 310 miles, the longest distance achieved by the North for such a weapon.

Submarine-based missiles are harder to detect before launch than land-based ones like Rodongs.

In June, after a string of failures, North Korea sent an intermediate Musudan missile more than 870 miles high in a test launch that outside analysts said showed progress in efforts to acquire the ability to strike US forces in the region.

The UN Security Council in late August strongly condemned four North Korean ballistic missile launches in July and August. It called them 'grave violations' of a ban on all ballistic missile activity.

The United States also condemned the launches, saying it was discussing with allies the proper response and plans to raise concerns at the UN.

The US also plans to bring up the issue during the East Asia summit in Laos this week. President Barack Obama was to head to Laos on Monday evening.

The European Union said North Korea 'must halt all missile launches using ballistic missile technology and abandon its ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.'

Before Monday's launch, South Korean president Park Geun-hye met her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit and criticised the North for what she called repeated missile provocations that are threatening to hurt Seoul-Beijing ties.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe approached Ms Park during a coffee break at the G20 and agreed to cooperate closely, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

The latest firing will not help the push by Mr Xi to get Ms Park to scrap the planned deployment of a powerful US anti-missile system in the South.

During their meeting, Mr Xi warned Ms Park that 'mishandling the issue is not conducive to strategic stability in the region, and could intensify disputes'.

China says the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), system is meant to spy on China, while Seoul and Washington say the system is intended solely to defend against North Korea's missile threat.