North Korea fires ballistic missile into Sea of Japan: Report
North Korea has reportedly fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, in a launch that marked the nuclear-armed state's second one in as many days.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency cited the South’s military as saying that the launch took place on Sunday involving a short-range ballistic missile.
The projectile was fired from the direction of the North Korean capital Pyongyang’s Yongseong area, at around 2:50 a.m. local time (07:50 GMT), the agency said citing the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The launch came less than a day after the North fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea lying east of the Korean Peninsula.
The projectiles, launched at around 8 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT) on Saturday from the North Hwanghae Province south of Pyongyang, flew at an altitude of around 100 kilometers and covered a range of around 350 kilometers, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. The South Korean military said the missiles flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles).
The North launched an unprecedented number of missiles in 2022, including firing its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever.
The missile tests took place in sheer defiance of stark warnings issued on an almost daily basis by Pyongyang’s archenemies, the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
The three allies claim that the North is advancing its military nuclear program in order to gear up for conducting what would be the country’s seventh nuclear weapon test.
Last month, the three countries promised to consider all available options to counter what they deemed to be a threat posed by the North.
