North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Thursday, South Korea said. The medium- or longer-range missile flew 1,000 kilometers, the South Korean military said. She then landed in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. South Korean and US intelligence services analyzed the details.
Japan confirmed the rocket launch. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the missile fired by North Korea did not fall on Japanese territory. In the meantime, the residents of the Japanese island of Hokkaido have been called to evacuate. Local officials later gave the all-clear and said there was “no way” the missile would hit the island.
In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a number of missiles and says it has also tested an underwater nuclear drone. Earlier this week, according to state media, ruler Kim Jong Un called for the country’s war deterrence capabilities to be expanded in a “more practical and offensive” way. The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that a meeting of the central military commission was about how to deal with the “escalating steps” taken by the USA and South Korea to “unleash a war of aggression”.
The military tensions on the Korean peninsula have recently increased drastically. The communist leadership in Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened a military escalation in the region. In the face of North Korea’s ongoing provocations, South Korea and the United States have strengthened their defense cooperation. (AFP)
