North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into South Korean waters on Thursday before the South Korean president arrived in Japan for a summit with his Japanese counterpart, Seoul and Tokyo said.
The missile traveled about 1,000 km, at a maximum altitude of 6,000 km, in 70 minutes, according to South Korean and Japanese estimates.
These details are identical to the launch, conducted in February, of another intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts believed had a range to reach the interior of the United States.
The missile landed in the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan after launching down a steep trajectory, apparently to avoid neighboring countries.
Japan said the missile landed outside its exclusive economic zone and there were no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.
The launch came as joint US and South Korean military exercises were underway, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.
The exercises began Monday and are expected to last through March 23, including computer simulations and live-fire field exercises.
Pyongyang had already conducted two tests this week, firing cruise missiles from a submarine as well as short-range ballistic missiles launched from North Korean territory at a target in the eastern sea.
The weapons tests were expected as last week North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the military to stand ready to repel what he called “frantic war preparation exercises” from the country’s opponents.
Last year, Pyongyang tested more than 70 missiles, including some with nuclear capability, to hit South Korea, Japan and the mainland US, saying many of those tests were warnings, after previous joint US and South Korean military maneuvers of the US and the US.
Before leaving for Tokyo, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said: “A clear price will be paid for North Korea’s reckless provocations.”
The summit between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is aimed at restoring relations between the two countries and consolidating trilateral security cooperation with the United States to counter North Korean threats.
In December, the Kishida government approved a new security strategy in December, under which it intends to acquire preemptive strike weapons and cruise missiles to counter the growing threat from North Korea, China and Russia.
Source: DN
