Tuesday saw North Korea’s furthest-ever missile flight test, a nuclear-capable ballistic missile which flew over Japan before landing in the Pacific ocean. The missile test prompted the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and stop train service.

North Korea has conducted five rounds of weapons testing over the previous ten days. The tests appear to be a response to two rounds of military exercises that took place off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula last week, one between the US and South Korea, and the other between the US, South Korea, and Japan.

The most recent South Korean missile test was launched from North Korea’s northern province bordering China. It is believed to have traveled 4,500–4,600 kilometers (2,800–2,860 miles) at a maximum height of 970-1,000 kilometers (600-620 miles), according to estimates from South Korea and Japan. The defense ministry of South Korea said the missile traveled farther than any other North Korean weapon has before. The missile’s flight path indicates that it has sufficient range to reach Guam, an island which houses American military bases that have sent fighter jets to the Korean Peninsula during past tensions with North Korea.

As the missile flew overhead, Japanese officials warned residents in its northeastern regions to seek shelter, issuing the first “J-alert” since North Korea twice launched intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missiles over the Japanese islands in 2017. In the Japanese regions of Hokkaido and Aomori, trains were halted, and subways were also momentarily suspended in Sapporo city, leaving stations crowded with morning commuters.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the launch “is a reckless act and I strongly condemn it.” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called it “reckless nuclear provocations.” The United States also condemned North Korea’s “dangerous and reckless decision” to launch what it described as a “long-range ballistic missile” over Japan, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “The United States will continue its efforts to limit [North Korea’s] ability to advance its prohibited ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs, including with allies and U.N. partners.”

Later on Tuesday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that four U.S. F-16 fighter jets and four South Korean F-15s had conducted a joint strike drill in which one of the South Korean aircraft fired two precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs into an island target, demonstrating the ability of the allies to accurately strike North Korean targets with “overwhelming force.”

According to the South Korean Ministry of Defense, North Korea is getting ready to test a new liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile as well as a submarine-launched ballistic missile. In a move that demonstrated its increasingly aggressive nuclear policy, North Korea last month adopted a new law that permits the use of nuclear weapons as a first resort under certain circumstances.

North Korea launches missile into sea amid US-SKorea drills

ABC RSS

Recommended