North Korea on Saturday, February 18, launched a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off Japan‘s west coast after warning of a strong response to upcoming military drills by South Korea and the United States.
The Japanese government said the missile plunged into waters inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone more than an hour after it was launched, suggesting the weapon was one of Pyongyang’s largest missiles. Per ABC.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisihda said the missile appeared to have been ICBM-class, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. He condemned the launch, calling it a threat to the international community.
In South Korea, which denounced the launch as a ‘clear breach of UN Security Council resolutions’, the chiefs of staff said the missile had flown about 900km before splashing into the sea.
North Korea’s first missile firing since January 1 came after Pyongyang threatened on Friday an ‘unprecedentedly persistent, strong’ response as South Korea and the United States gear up for annual military exercises as part of efforts to fend off the North’s growing nuclear and missile threats.
North Korean state media reported that Saturday’s launch was designed to confirm the weapon’s reliability.
State news agency KCNA said the missile flew 989 kilometres to an altitude of 5,768km for 4,015 seconds (67 minutes).
Following Saturday’s launch, South Korea’s National Security Council convened a meeting and agreed to increase cooperation on security with Washington and Japan.
Seeking to present a united front with South Korea and Japan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the launch as a ‘provocative’ act in remarks alongside his counterparts from the two countries on Saturday.
‘The result of these actions by North Korea is simply to even further solidify the work that we do together, the alliance that we share, and our commitment to the defence of our partners and allies,’ Mr Blinken said.
The White House said it was taking necessary measures to protect the US homeland and regional allies, but that the launch did not pose any immediate threat.
The G7 foreign ministers condemned the launch and called for a unified response from the international community.
