North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile off western Japan

NORTH KOREA: North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile that landed in Japan’s maritime economic zone yesterday, officials said.

It was the latest in a string of test launches as the North seeks to build nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the United States mainland.

The suspected Scud-type missile launched from the coastal town of Wonsan flew about 450km, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The missile landed in Japan’s exclusive maritime economic zone, which is set about 370 kilometres off the Japanese coast, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

He said there was no reports of damage to planes or vessels.

North Korea is still thought to be several years from its goal of being able to target US mainland cities with a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile.

It has a strong arsenal of shortand medium-range missiles that could hit Japan and South Korea as well as US forces in the region, and it is working to perfect its longer-range missiles.

North Korea’s state-controlled media made no comment. – AP