North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Friday, Seoul’s military said, which Japan said may have had the range to hit the US mainland.
The missile was believed to have landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said as he blasted the launch as “absolutely unacceptable”. The launch is Pyongyang’s second in two days, and is part of a record-breaking blitz in recent weeks.
Confirming the launch, Tokyo said that based on its calculations, the missile may have had the range to hit the US mainland. North Korea claims the recent wave of launches is a response to Washington’s moves to bolster its protection of regional security allies, South Korea and Japan.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had “detected a long-range ballistic missile (ICBM) around 10:15 (0115 GMT) fired from the Sunan area in Pyongyang towards the East Sea,” referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
The missile flew 1,000 km (621 miles) at an altitude of 6,100 km and speeds of Mach 22, the South Korean military said, calling it a “serious provocation damaging peace and security on the Korean Peninsula”.
Tokyo’s Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters that the “ICBM-class missile” had been fired on a “lofted trajectory” — meaning the missile is fired up not out, typically to avoid overflying neighbouring countries.
“Based on calculations taking the trajectory into account, the ballistic missile this time around could have had a range capability of 15,000 km, depending on the weight of its warhead, and if that’s the case, it means the US mainland was within its range,” he said.
The launch comes a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile as its minister of foreign affairs, Choe Son Hui, warned Pyongyang would take “fiercer” military action if the United States strengthened its “extended deterrence” commitment to regional allies.—INP
