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North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan, prompting the country to activate its alarm system and urge its population to take shelter. Tokyo estimated the flight distance at 4,600 km, a record for this type of projectile.
The last time Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan was in 2017, amid heightened tensions between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump.
The South Korean military said it had “detected a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile that was launched from the Mupyong-ri area in Jagang province at around 7:23 a.m. (2223 GMT Monday) and passed over Japan in an easterly direction.”
In a subsequent statement, he specified that the projectile flew 4,500 kilometers to an altitude of 970 kilometers and reached a speed of Mach 17, which is equivalent to 17 times the speed of sound.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol denounced “a provocation” that violates United Nations regulations and called for “a firm response and taking corresponding measures in cooperation with the United States and the international community.”
Tokyo also reported the firing of the missile by Pyongyang and issued an evacuation alert in two northern regions for their inhabitants to take refuge inside buildings or underground.
“A ballistic missile is believed to have passed over our country and landed in the Pacific Ocean. This is an act of violence after recent repeated firing of ballistic missiles. We strongly condemn it,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that Korea The North “has fired Hwasong 12-type missiles four times in the past, so this may be the same type.”
