STRATCOM tracked the other missile into the Sea of Japan, but did not specify if the splashdown was simply near or actually inside Japanese waters.
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North Korea has previously fired Rodong and other missiles into the sea, but South Korean analysts say Wednesday’s 1,000-kilometer flight was one of the longest for a North Korean test.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that the missile “landed in our nation’s EEZ makes it an intolerable act of recklessness”.
The US military said the North had actually launched two Rodong intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, but one appeared to have exploded on take-off. If the range is the full touted 1,300 km, it could hit any target on the Japanese islands including Yokosuka naval base, where a US aircraft carrier fleet is located.
The United States and Japan called for the urgent talks, which are expected to be held around 4 PM (2000 GMT).
South Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Oh Joon said that this year North Korea had conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests, firing 29 various rockets.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined that the missiles posed no threat to the US. The United States will continue to work closely with South Korea and Japan, as well as the worldwide community, to address North Korea’s provocative actions, the statement said.
According to an official investigation, the missile was a medium-range Rodong capable of reaching its territory and that North Korea likely used a mobile launcher for the test, making detection hard.
Missile tests have become more frequent under Kim Jong Un’s reign.
The missile, believed to be a Rodong, flew about 620 miles and landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the 200-nautical-mile offshore area.
The request was endorsed by council members Britain, France, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine and Uruguay, while China, North Korea’s only ally, and Russian Federation did not back the request.
The North is barred from developing nuclear and ballistic missile technology by United Nations resolution. But North Korea called them satellite launches while Washington, Seoul and Tokyo said they were disguised tests of missile technology.
Wednesday’s launch came after the North fired three missiles on July 19 after Seoul and the United States agreed to deploy an advanced US missile defense system in South Korea by the end of 2017. Japan’s defense ministry said the missile fell into the sea inside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
But it failed to adopt a press statement back in July, … with China reportedly raising opposition to the draft statement in protest against the South Korea-U.S. decision to deploy the THAAD missile defense system to the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, the North rejected Wednesday Seoul’s claim that it was behind a recent cyber attack targeting the South Korean government.
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Tensions on the divided Korean peninsula are also building up ahead of an annual South Korea-US military exercise later this month that involves tens of thousands of troops.
