Five missile tests in ten days, North Korea increases the number of hits significantly. According to the South Korean military and the Japan Coast Guard, a medium-range ballistic missile flew towards the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea by the Koreans). According to the information, the rocket was launched in the northern North Korean province of Jagan near the border with China.
“A projectile that appears to be a North Korean ballistic missile is likely to have passed over Japan,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office wrote on Twitter. Kishida described the incident as an outrageous act of violence. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that the weapons test will have serious consequences and will trigger a strong international response. According to him, the rocket flew 4,000 kilometers.
People in northern Japan should stay safe
In northern Japan, the country’s missile warning system was briefly activated. The warning message was displayed on the screens of state broadcaster NHK. NHK said the warning applies to two northern regions of the country that the missile is believed to have overflown. People were asked to get to safety in buildings, if possible in basements. Train services have been temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure.
Warning message from the Japanese broadcaster NHK after the North Korean missile test
The Japan Coast Guard later said the missile had fallen into the sea and warned ships not to approach fallen objects.
North Korea’s communist leadership doesn’t care about UN resolutions
Several UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead.
Experts see North Korea’s recent increased number of missile tests as a reaction to the recently held naval maneuvers by South Korean and US forces. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan also took part in the four-day naval exercises. It was the first deployment of a US aircraft carrier to South Korea in almost four years.
North Korea regularly accuses the United States of preparing an attack through its military maneuvers with South Korea – which both countries deny. Tensions in the region have risen sharply following a series of nuclear-capable missile tests by North Korea this year. The country is also reportedly preparing to launch a submarine ballistic missile and possibly its first nuclear test since 2017.
qu/gri (rtr, afp, dpa)
