North Korea yesterday fired at least one ballistic missile, which South Korea’s military said was likely designed to be launched from a submarine.
The launch of the missile into the sea came hours after the US reaffirmed an offer to resume talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. It underscored how Pyongyang has continued to expand its military capabilities during the pause in diplomacy.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected that North Korea had fired one short-range missile it believed was a submarine-launched ballistic missile from waters near the eastern port of Sinpo, and that the South Korean and US militaries were closely analyzing the launch.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The South Korean military said the launch was made at sea, but did not say whether it was fired from a vessel underwater or another launch platform above the sea’s surface.
Japan’s military said its initial analysis suggested that the North fired two ballistic missiles.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said officials were examining whether they were launched from a submarine.
He interrupted a campaign trip ahead of Japanese legislative elections later this month and returned to Tokyo because of the launch.
He ordered his government to start revising the country’s national security strategy to adapt to growing North Korean threats, including the possible development of the ability to pre-emptively strike North Korean military targets.
“We cannot overlook North Korea’s recent development in missile technology and its impact on the security of Japan and in the region,” he said.
One of the missiles reached a maximum altitude of 50km and flew on “an irregular trajectory” while traveling as far as 600km, he said, adding that the missile did not breach Japan’s exclusive economic zone set outside its territorial waters.
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