The president of the European Council condemned the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile against Japan, calling the act “unjustified aggression”.
The shooting is “a deliberate attempt” to endanger “security in the region,” wrote Charles Michel on the social network Twitter.
“The European Union stands in solidarity with Japan and South Korea,” he added.
The firing of the missile, which flew over northern Japan, prompted the first warnings in five years for residents who were asked to leave buildings, according to the Japanese government.
It also forced the temporary suspension of rail traffic in the Aomori region and on the island of Hokkaido, in the north of the archipelago, it added.
Japanese authorities said the projectile had landed in the Pacific Ocean.
South Korea also detected the launch from North Korea, which was headed for the North’s eastern waters.
The firing marks the fifth round of weapons tests by North Korea in the past 10 days, in an apparent response to military exercises between Japan, South Korea and the United States, which took place late last month, by first time in five years.
Pyongyang sees US-led military exercises in the region, particularly with South Korea, as preparation for an invasion, though Washington and Seoul have repeatedly denied any intention to attack the North.
Technically, the two Koreas are still at war, as the 1950-53 conflict ended with the signing of an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Source: TSF
