North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan for the first time since 2017, building up tensions in the region.
This was North Korea’s fifth missile launch in 10 days
Japanese coast guard and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the missiles near the northernmost main island of Hokkaido and the country’s north-eastern Aomori prefecture and rang warning sirens and issued text alerts, advising residents to take shelter.
“North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground,” the alert read.
Train services in the northeastern Hokkaido and Aomori regions have been suspended temporarily.
This was the first time a North Korean missile flew over or beyond Japan in five years. The missile is said to have traveled at a maximum altitude of about 1,000 km and a range of approximately 4,600 km (2,850 miles) which is the most extended range covered by a North Korean test missile. The missile fell in the Pacific Ocean 3,000km (1,860 miles) east of Japan at 7.44 am local time after a 22-minute flight, according to local TV’s citation of an unnamed government source.
Japan, Allies condemn missile launch
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch calling it a “barbaric” act while South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, warned of a resolute response to North Korea.
“(The NSC) made it clear that continued North Korean provocations cannot be tolerated and that there would be a price to be paid,” said the statement issued from the South Korean President’s office.
Top Japanese government spokesperson, HirokazuMatsuno, while addressing a news conference said that a series of provocative actions by North Korea, including “repeated ballistic missile launches”, threaten the peace and security of the region and the international community.
The United States, while strongly condemning North Korea’s act, called it “dangerous and reckless”.
“This action is destabilizing and shows the DPRK’s blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, North Korea accused the US and its allies of threatening it with joint exercises and defense buildups as the period has seen joint bombing drills by the United States, Japan and South Korea.