North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile on Sunday, the Japanese Coast Guard and South Korea’s military said, while Pyongyang condemned US-led displays of military force as a “prelude to nuclear war.”
The missile was launched toward the sea off North Korea’s eastern coast, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
About 20 minutes after the initial report of the launch, the Japanese Coast Guard said the missile had already landed.
NTV reported that the missile apparently fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
There are no details, we are now available.
The launch came after warnings from officials in Seoul and Tokyo that the nuclear-armed North is preparing to test-fire a missile, including one of its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles, this month.
All of North Korea’s ballistic missile activities are prohibited under UN Security Council resolutions, although Pyongyang defends them as its sovereign right to self-defense.
Criticism of the United States and Japan
Less than half an hour after the launch, North Korean state media published a statement from the Ministry of Defense criticizing “military gangs” in the United States and South Korea for raising tensions through exercises, displays of force, and planning a nuclear war.
The statement issued by an unnamed ministry spokesman indicated the arrival of the US nuclear-powered submarine USS Missouri in the port city of Busan, South Korea, on Sunday.
“The armed forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will completely neutralize the attempt of the United States and its forces to ignite a nuclear war, thus reliably ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula,” the statement said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The spokesman also criticized South Korea and the United States for holding their second meeting of the Nuclear Advisory Group in Washington on Friday, as part of the allies’ efforts to streamline war planning and increase military displays of force as a warning to North Korea.
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