North Korea fired a ballistic missile that landed in Japan

Seoul:

Seoul and Tokyo said North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Saturday that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The launch, Pyongyang’s first in seven weeks, comes days before Seoul and Washington begin joint tabletop exercises aimed at improving their response in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.

Japan said North Korea “fired an ICBM-class ballistic missile” that flew for about 66 minutes before landing in the country’s exclusive economic zone, chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.

Tokyo’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile could have the ability to fly 14,000 km (8,700 mi) – which would mean it was capable of hitting anywhere on the mainland United States.

Seoul’s military told AFP it detected the launch of an ICBM that was fired on a high trajectory – up rather than out, as is usually done to avoid over neighboring countries – and about 900 km (560 miles) flew.

“The detailed specifications are being closely analyzed by South Korean-US intelligence officials,” it said in a statement.

The South’s presidential office said it held a National Security Council meeting to discuss the launch, and its participants decided to “take firm measures against any attempts to threaten our people”.

Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported that the estimated flight time of just over an hour is similar to that of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile Pyongyang tested last November.

The United States said on Saturday that it “strongly condemns” the launch and that it would “take all necessary measures” to protect itself and its allies South Korea and Japan.

“This launch unnecessarily escalates tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

In a statement released after talks in Munich, the G7 group of industrialized nations echoed US concerns and said the launch “demands a unified response by the international community”.

“The launch was another step in North Korea’s efforts to perfect its long-range strike capabilities,” Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean army general, told AFP.

“The message from North Korea is clear: We are making steady progress with the goal of improving long-range nuclear weapons.”

‘like for like’

Military tensions have escalated on the Korean peninsula after a year in which North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state and conducted weapons tests nearly every month that defied sanctions.

In response, Seoul has stepped up joint military exercises and cooperation with key security ally Washington to convince an increasingly nervous South Korean public of America’s commitment to contain nuclear-armed Pyongyang.

North Korea on Friday threatened an “unprecedented” strong response to upcoming US-South Korea drills – which it described as preparation for war.

Ann Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said the latest launch indicated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “has finally drawn his sword.”

“It seems that Kim Jong Un wants to approach the issue from a tit-for-tat perspective,” he said.

The launch could be read as “a threat that Kim Jong Un is capable of striking the US mainland with strategic nuclear weapons, not just those with tactical nuclear weapons.”

solid fuel ICBM?

South Korea’s flamboyant President Yoon Suk Yeol, who takes office in May 2022, has vowed to get tough on North Korea.

Earlier this week, South Korea called Pyongyang its “enemy” in a defense document – the first time the term has been used in six years, signaling a further hardening of Seoul’s position.

North Korea has also ramped up its testing, including firing a ballistic missile that landed near South Korea’s territorial waters for the first time since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

Pyongyang has repeatedly said it is not interested in further talks, and Kim has recently called for an “exponential” increase in his country’s nuclear arsenal.

At a military parade in Pyongyang last week, North Korea displayed a record number of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles, including what analysts said was likely a new solid-fueled ICBM.

North Korea has long sought to develop a solid-fuel ICBM because such missiles are easier to store and transport, as well as more stable and quicker to prepare for launch – and thus the United States difficult to detect and destroy in advance.

“North Korean missile firings are often tests of technologies under development, and it would be remarkable if Pyongyang claimed progress with a long-range solid-fuel missile,” said Professor Leif-Erik Eisley of Iwha University in Seoul.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)