North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan. This comes as the United States and its allies prepare for a military strike on North Korea after it conducted another nuclear test.
The U.S. has declared this launch as a serious provocation and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874, which required all countries to ban any exports of coal, iron, iron ore, and seafood from North Korea in response to its failed missile tests in September last year.
What happened to North Korea?
This is the seventh time since 2008 that Pyongyang has fired missiles over Japanese territory or into the surrounding waters, with one landing 250 miles offshore in 2014.
The South Korean military confirmed the launch on Monday at 6:57 p.m. local time (9:57 p.m. Japan time). The missile flew about 1,000 kilometers before landing in the waters off Japan’s Hokkaido province.
In this image published by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, addresses the Supreme People’s Assembly, which recently enacted legislation formally establishing its nuclear weapons policies, in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 8, 2022. (KCNA). via REUTERS, KCNA
North Korea launched the missile
The missile was launched from the Sunan region, which borders North Korea’s northwest and is home to a long-standing North Korean missile facility that has been used for previous launches and has a history of being a test site for new missiles developed by Pyongyang.
North Korea earlier this month successfully carried out its first satellite launch since 2012. U.S. officials have said that North Korea will be able to reach the U.S. and possibly its territories by 2020 as long as it continues gathering data and developing a rocket engine and re-entry vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear warhead atop an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Reuters reports that the United States is considering flying B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula in a show of force against North Korea if further provocation follows Monday’s launch.
Current position of military forces
According to a statement Monday evening local time, South Korea’s military is currently analyzing the missile launch and is conducting a joint analysis with the U.S. military.
This development comes after North Korea claimed that it had tested a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test on Sunday, which was ten times more powerful than its previous test in September last year.
Most Recent Report
The news of the most recent launches was not covered by North Korean state media, but Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, has stated that the country is developing nuclear weapons and missiles to protect itself against American threats.
