North fires off 2nd test missile
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile yesterday morning, the Japanese government said, with the second missile launch in less than a week coming after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged late last year to strengthen the nation’s defences.
At least one projectile was fired eastward from inland around 7.25am and was estimated to have landed in the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, it said. There has been no report of damage to ships or aircraft, according to the government.
The projectile is likely to have travelled less than 700 kilometres, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the spate of North Korean actions, saying, “It is extremely regrettable that the country has repeatedly carried out missile launches.”
South Korean media reported the missile was fired from the vicinity of the northern province of Jagang, and its distance of travel was equivalent to the previous missile, but it flew at 10 times the speed of sound.
The launch came after North Korean state media said the country on Wednesday last week successfully tested a newly developed hypersonic missile designed to be it difficult to track and intercept.
As Seoul analysed Pyongyang’s intentions behind the consecutive launches, South Korea’s National Security Council held an emergency meeting and expressed “deep regret” over the latest firing.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Mr Kishida said Japan will strengthen monitoring of North Korea’s military activities and that he has instructed relevant ministers and officials to make the utmost efforts to collect information on the launch.
The launch came a day after the UN Security Council convened a closeddoor emergency meeting to discuss how to respond to last week’s actions by North Korea.
In New York on Monday, the United States mission to the United Nations issued a joint statement with Albania, Britain, France, Ireland and Japan condemning the North’s “ballistic missile launch” on Jan 5, which it said was “a clear violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.”
While North Korean state media reported on Thursday that the country successfully tested a newly developed hypersonic missile, South Korean defence officials have said North Korea has yet to acquire the technologies needed to launch a hypersonic weapon.