Pyongyang appears to have launched its first ballistic missile in about two months after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un indicated that he was more interested in bolstering his arsenal than returning to stalled nuclear talks with the US.
North Korea yesterday fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile from land into waters off its east coast, South Korea’s military said.
The missile flew about 500km on a normal trajectory and landed in waters outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, officials in Tokyo said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The flight path suggests North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launch “extremely regrettable” and said that his government would step up surveillance.
Beijing called on all parties to “act prudently” and maintain the right direction of talks and consultations, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) told a regular press briefing.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was consulting closely with allies.
“The ballistic missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s illicit weapons program,” it said in a statement, referring to North Korea by the acronym for its formal name.
The South Korean National Security Council convened and said in a statement that it was “concerned” about the launch.
The group called on North Korea to resume nuclear negotiations, which it said would help “resolve the current strain on inter-Korean relations.”
The missile was launched from Jagang Province, South Korea’s military said, near where Pyongyang in September fired for the first time what it claimed was a hypersonic glide vehicle.
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