North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile off western Japan

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a shortrange ballistic missile that landed in Japan’s maritime economic zone Monday, officials said, the latest in a string of test launches as the North seeks to build nuclear-tipped ICBMs that can reachthe U.S. mainland.

The suspected Scud-type missile launched from the coastal town of Wonsan flew about 280 miles, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It landed in Japan’s exclusive maritime economic zone, which is set about 200 nautical miles off the Japanese coast, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. He said there was no report of damage to planes or vesselsin the area.

North Korea is still thought to be several years from its goal of being able to target U.S. 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 U.S. forces in the region, and it is workingto perfect its longerrangemissiles.

North Korea’s state-controlled media had no immediate comment. But a day earlier, the North said leader Kim Jong Un had watched a successful test of a new type of anti-aircraft guided weapon system. It wasn’t clear from the state media report when the test happened.

Mr. Kim found that the weapon system’s ability to detect and track targets had “remarkably” improved and was more accurate, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA cited Mr. Kim as ordering officials to mass-produce and deploy the system all over the country so as to “completely spoil the enemy’s wild dream to command the air.”

The North’s nuclear and Shinzo Abe, who just returned missile programs are perhaps from a G-7 meeting the biggest foreign policy in Italy, told reporters that challenges to the leaders “North Korea’s provocation inWashington and Seoul. by ignoring repeated

President Donald warnings from the international Trump has alternated between society is absolutely bellicosity and flattery unacceptable.” in his public statements The U.S. Pacific Command about North Korea, said in a statement but his administration is that it tracked a shortrange still working to solidify a missile for six minutes policy to handle Pyongyang’s until it landed in the nuclear ambitions. Sea of Japan.

Monday’s missile Mr. Suga, the Japanese launch was the third since cabinet secretary, told reporters South Korea’s President that the missile fell Moon Jae-in was inaugurated about 190 miles north of the May 10. He has signaled Oki islands in southwestern an interest in expanding Japan and 310 miles civilian exchange west of Sado island in central with North Korea, but Japan. many analysts say he Mr. Suga said Japanese won’t likely push for any officials will discuss North major rapprochement because Korea with Chinese Foreign North Korea has Minister Yang Jiechi, gone too far in developing who is scheduled to visit its nuclear program. Japan later Monday. He

Mr. Moon called a National said China has been increasingly Security Council stepping up and meeting Monday morning using its influence over to discuss the North’s North Korea and that the launch. two sides will thoroughly

Japanese Prime Minister discuss the situation.