North Korea fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile into Sea off Japan

(MENAFN) North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from its capital into the sea off Japan on Saturday, according to state media KCNA, threatening to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises. KCNA reported that the missile test was organized suddenly and without prior notice, and that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had approved the launch. According to the South Korean and Japanese militaries, the missile was fired at a high angle to avoid reaching the neighboring countries’ territories and traveled about 560 miles at a maximum altitude of 3,500 miles during an hourlong flight.

The missile test, which used a Hwasong-15 missile according to KCNA, was similar to the country’s Hwasong-17 ICBM test flight in November, which experts claimed demonstrated the missile’s potential to reach the U.S. mainland if fired on a normal trajectory. The missile landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone, about 125 miles west of Oshima island, but no damage was reported.

The Japanese government confirmed the missile launch and called it a threat to regional security. Meanwhile, North Korea's Foreign Ministry threatened with "unprecedented" strong action against its rivals, after South Korea announced a series of military exercises with the United States aimed at sharpening their response to the North's growing threats. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that the missile launch did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or its allies. However, the White House National Security Council condemned the test and said it raised tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his national security director, Kim Sung-han, presided over an emergency security meeting that accused the North of escalating regional tensions. It criticized North Korea for accelerating its nuclear arms development despite signs of worsening economic problems and food insecurity, saying such actions would bring only tougher international sanctions.

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