North Korea fires intercontinental missile that lands off the coast of Japan

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had “detected a suspected long-range ballistic missile at around 10:15 am (0115 GMT) fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan area” into the Sea of ​​Japan.

The missile traveled a distance of about 1,000 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 6,100 kilometers and a speed of Mach 22, according to the South Korean military, which described the launch as “a threat to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.”

For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, visiting Thailand, said the missile would have fallen in the waters of his country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), near the northern region of Hokkaido.

“The ballistic missile launched by North Korea would have landed in our EEZ west of Hokkaido,” Kishida told reporters in Bangkok, calling the launch “absolutely unacceptable.”

The leader said there were no reports of damage to ships or planes.

Also in Bangkok, where the APEC summit is being held, US Vice President Kamala Harris had planned an emergency meeting with the rulers of Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to address the issue.

Washington “strongly condemned” the launch, calling it a “blatant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said in a statement.

diplomatic efforts

In turn, the Japanese Defense Minister, Yasukazu Hamada, told the press that the projectile had the capacity to reach US territory.

“Based on calculations that consider the trajectory, the ballistic missile this time could have had a range of 15,000 km, depending on the weight of the warhead, and if so, it could reach the United States,” Hamada said.

The shooting came a day after North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile and its Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui warned of “fiercer” military action if the United States strengthens its presence in the region. the Korean peninsula.

Washington has sought to boost regional security cooperation with military exercises in response to increasing provocations from North Korea, which sees such exercises as evidence of US aggression.

US President Joe Biden discussed actions to control North Korean arms with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid fears that Pyongyang would carry out a nuclear test.

North Korea was a central topic in the meeting between Xi and Kishida on Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Bangkok.

Experts pointed out that the launch of the ICBM, one of North Korea’s most powerful weapons, is a clear indication that leader Kim Jong Un is upset by such discussions.

“It is now estimated that it was an ICBM. If that is the case, it is a clear message to the United States and Japan,” said Han Kwon-hee, manager of the Missile Strategy Forum.

pitching record

Weeks ago, North Korea carried out a wave of launches, including an ICBM that Seoul said would have failed.

It also fired a short-range ballistic missile that crossed the de facto maritime border between the two countries, near South Korean territorial waters.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called it a “de facto territorial invasion.”

Both launches were part of the torrent of fire on November 2, with 23 missiles, more than in all of 2017.

Experts say the North is seizing the opportunity to test banned missiles because it hopes to avoid new UN sanctions given the deadlock in the world body over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

China, Pyongyang’s main diplomatic ally, joined Russia in May in vetoing a US attempt to tighten sanctions against North Korea at the UN Security Council.

Washington responded to the North Korean tests by expanding its military exercises with South Korea, including sending a strategic bomber plane.

Russia accuses the US

Russia accused the United States on Friday of “testing the patience” of Pyongyang after the launch of a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile that landed off the coast of Japan.

Although Moscow remains “faithful” to a “diplomatic” solution for the Korean peninsula, “the United States and its allies in the region (…) prefer a different path (…), as if they were testing the patience of Pyongyang,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov said.

“We are following the situation with concern,” the official added, speaking to the public agency RIA Novosti.