South Korea referred to the launch as North Korea’s way of showing its ambition to broadly and directly attack neighboring countries and target South Korean airfields and seaports.
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The DPRK missile reportedly landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), marking the first time that a DPRK missile fell on Japanese waters.
“Deployment of this missile defense system is, on the contrary, a means of protecting ourselves from the North Korean threat to peace and stability”, the South Korean spokesman noted.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the launch a “grave threat to Japan’s security” and a “reckless act that is hard to forgive”, according to The Japan Times.
Britain and France say they’re pressing for strong condemnation by the U.N. Security Council of North Korea’s latest missile launches – and possibly even more sanctions. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during a test launch of ground-to-ground medium long-range ballistic rocket Hwasong-10 in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 23, 2016.
A medium-range ballistic missile fired by North Korea flew about 620 miles and landed in the Sea of Japan.
The 10 Security Council members, along with Australia and South Korea, asked the committee to review details of the launch and “take appropriate action”, according to the letter sent last week.
North Korea is said to be seeking to develop a warhead small enough to be placed on a ballistic missile.
This week, the communist nation of North Korea reportedly declared war against the US, which the latter had not taken seriously.
The latest launches follow an agreement last month between South Korea and the United States to deploy an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the South. South Korea’s defense ministry was not immediately available for comment about the type of missile that was sacked.
He added Tokyo will “resolutely respond in cooperation with the United States and South Korea”. Japan also said its self-defence force would remain on alert in case of further launches.
North Korea has carried out nine tests involving missile technology since the sanctions resolution was adopted in March.
Continuing a general pattern since kicking off the year with a fourth ever nuclear test, the North attempted to launch the pair of presumed Rodong missiles shortly before 8 a.m. (2300GMT Tuesday). The other flew around 1,000 km. The U.S.is a known ally of South Korea, which is still at war with the North.
North Korea has been especially aggressive with other countries recently after the Communist country experienced yet another round of sanctions from the United Nations earlier this year. On July 19, Seoul’s unification ministry said Pyongyang appeared to have been in a state of conducting another nuclear test at any time given increased activity in its main Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
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There are almost 30,000 USA troops permanently stationed in South Korea.
