North Korea launched an unidentified projectile into the sea, South Korea and Japan said on Wednesday, marking Pyongyang’s first such test in the new year. According to the South Korean military, Pyongyang fired what is “believed to be a ballistic missile” into the Sea of Japan, located east of the peninsula, at around 8:10 am local time (11:10 pm GMT Tuesday).
“The South Korean and American intelligence services are analyzing it carefully for more details,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke of a “possible ballistic missile launch” without failing to regret that “North Korea has launched missiles continuously since last year”.
Fumio Kishida told reporters that the Japanese government is analyzing the details, including the number of missiles that may have been launched. “No damage has been reported to Japanese planes and ships so far,” Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, adding that the projectile appeared to have “traveled about 500 kilometers and fell. outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan ”.
Quick reaction from the United States
The United States condemned North Korea’s firing of the projectile on Wednesday, calling on Pyongyang to hold talks. “This shot violates several UN Security Council resolutions and poses a threat to North Korea’s neighbors and the international community,” said a spokesperson for the US State Department.
“We remain committed to a diplomatic approach towards North Korea and call on it to engage in dialogue,” he added. The spokesperson for the US State Department stressed that the US commitment to defend South Korea and Japan was “foolproof”.
Relations between Biden and Pyongyang at a standstill
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin have already planned to meet remotely Thursday with their Japanese counterparts for routine security-related discussions.
Democrat Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly said it is open to talks with North Korea. Pyongyang has so far rejected these offers, accusing Washington of pursuing “hostile” policies.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has met three times with former Republican President Donald Trump, who bragged about preventing conflict but failed to reach a comprehensive deal to end North Korea’s nuclear program.
The year 2021 was marked by major advances in armaments for North Korea, which claimed to have successfully tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, a long-range cruise missile and a weapon launched by a train and which it declared to be a hypersonic warhead. At an important meeting of the ruling party last week, the North Korean leader affirmed his willingness to strengthen the military capabilities of his country, despite being under international sanctions.
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