The Japanese defence ministry said the missile landed inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the 200-nautical mile of ocean around a country over which it has jurisdiction.
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The command’s statement said initial indications reveal one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired one ballistic missile into east waters from its west region, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Wednesday.
Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said the test launch posed a grave threat to the country’s security and that Tokyo had protested strongly against it.
“It is an unforgivable, reckless act”, Abe told reporters.
In what has become an increasingly common occurrence, North Korea attempted to launch two more ballistic missiles in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions barring such tests.
Rodong missiles have a range of about 800 miles, which would put most of western Japan within reach of such a missile fired from North Korea. In conjunction with the US, Seoul plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017.
Tensions are always high on the peninsula, but especially recently given Pyongyang’s long-range missile and nuclear tests earlier this year.
North Korea says the annual drills are a provocative rehearsal for invasion, while Washington and Seoul insist they are purely defensive in nature.
A series of North Korean missile launches and attempted launches since the start of the year have raised concern in Japan, South Korea and further afield.
North Korea is known to have an arsenal of estimated 300 Rodong missiles whose maximum range is 1,300 kilometers (800 miles).
Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, threatened to use a nuclear weapon against South Korea during a military exercise in March; he’s also threatened to use nuclear weapons if THAAD is built.
The missile was apparently a medium-range Rodong, he said.
A US State Department spokesman condemned the Hermit Kingdom’s launch, and said it would “only increase the worldwide community’s resolve to counter” North Korea’s actions.
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Last week, North Korea’s newly-appointed foreign minister Ri Yong-Ho said any decision to conduct another nuclear test would depend on the behaviour of the United States.
