Missile fears rising
NORTH Korea has fired an unidentified missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before landing in the northern Pacific Ocean.
It was the second aggressive test-flight over the territory of the close US ally in less than a month and it followed the sixth and most powerful nuclear test by North Korea to date on September 3.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile travelled about 3700km while reaching a maximum height of 770km.
The missile was launched from Sunan, the site of Pyongyang’s international airport, yesterday morning.
North Korea last month used the airport to fire a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile that flew over northern Japan.
The North then declared it a “meaningful prelude” to containing the US Pacific island territory of Guam and the start of more ballistic missile launches toward the Pacific Ocean.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denounced North Korea’s latest launch, saying he was conveying “strong anger” on behalf of the Japanese people.
Mr Suga said Japan “will not tolerate the repeated and excessive provocations”.
The North American Aerospace Defence Command determined the intermediate range missile did not pose a threat to North America.
In addition, US Pacific Command said it did not pose a threat to Guam.
South Korean experts said the August launch was Pyongyang’s attempt to make missiles flying over Japan an accepted norm as it seeks to test new missiles and win more military space in the region dominated by its enemies.
The offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defence said the latest launch posed no immediate threat to Guam.
South Korea’s Defence Ministry said the country’s military conducted a live-fire drill of a Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile in response to the North’s launch yesterday.
Seoul’s presidential office said President Moon Jae-in has scheduled a National Security Council meeting to discuss the latest launch.
North Korea claimed its latest nuclear test was a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for its intercontinental ballistic missiles.
North Korea’s latest missile launch came days after the UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions over the nuclear test.