North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Ahead of US-South Korea Drills
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - North Korea has fired a ballistic missile towards its eastern seas, ahead of planned military drills by South Korea and the United States.
South Korea’s military said Sunday’s weapon test involved a single, short-range ballistic missile fired from near the Taechon area of North Pyongyang Province just before 7 am (22:00 GMT on Saturday), Al Jazeera reported.
It did not immediately release further specifics about the weapon, including what type of missile it was or how far it flew.
Japanese defense minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan estimated it reached maximum altitude at 50 kilometres (31 miles) and may have flown on an irregular trajectory.
Hamada said it fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone and there were no reports of problems with shipping or air traffic.
Many of the short-range missiles tested by North Korea in recent years have been designed to evade missile defences by maneuvering during flight and flying on a lower, “depressed” trajectory, experts have said.
“If you include launches of cruise missiles, this is the nineteenth launch, which is an unprecedented pace,” Hamada said. “North Korea’s action represents a threat to the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community and to do this as the Ukraine invasion unfolds is unforgivable.”
He added that Japan had delivered a protest through North Korea’s embassy in Beijing.
The launch comes after the arrival of the nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in South Korea to participate in joint drills with South Korean forces, and ahead of a planned visit to Seoul this week by US Vice President Kamala Harris.
It was the first time North Korea carried out such a launch after firing eight short-range ballistic missiles in one day in early June, which led the US to call for more sanctions for violating United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea rejects UN resolutions as an infringement of its sovereign right to self-defence and space exploration, and has criticised previous joint drills by the US and South Korea as proof of their hostile policies.
