SEOUL, Feb 18 (Portal) – North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off Japan’s west coast on Saturday after Pyongyang warned of a strong response to upcoming military exercises between the US and South Korea.
Japanese authorities said it fell in waters within Japan’s exclusive economic zone more than an hour after launch, suggesting the weapon was one of the North’s largest missiles. Tokyo said there were no immediate reports of damage to ships or planes.
North Korea’s first missile launch since January 1 comes after Pyongyang on Friday threatened an “unprecedentedly heavy-handed, strong” response as South Korea and the United States prepare for annual military exercises to stave off the North’s mounting nuclear and missile threats.
Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles over the past year, including ICBMs, capable of striking anywhere in the United States as it resumed preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017.
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Saturday’s long-range missile was fired from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, the South Korean military said. Sunan is the site of Pyongyang International Airport, where North Korea has conducted most of its recent ICBM testing.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a briefing that Japan strongly condemned the launch and protested strongly, calling it a threat to the international community.
North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs are banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions, but Pyongyang says its weapons development is necessary to counter “hostile policies” by Washington and its allies.
Allied nuclear exercises, called the Deterrence Strategy Committee’s tabletop exercise, are scheduled for Wednesday at the Pentagon and will involve senior defense officials from both sides, the Seoul Defense Ministry said.
The two countries are also planning a series of expanded field exercises, including live firefighting exercises, in the coming weeks and months.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a full peace treaty, technically leaving the parties at war.
Pyongyang may have created a military unit tasked with operating new ICBMs in line with its recent military restructuring, state media video footage of a Feb. 9 parade suggests.
This parade featured more ICBMs than ever before, including a possible new solid fuel weapon that could help the North deploy its missiles more quickly in the event of war.
“North Korean missile launches are often tests for technologies under development, and it will be remarkable if Pyongyang claims progress on a long-range solid-fuel missile,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul.
“The Kim regime may also tout this launch in response to US defense cooperation with South Korea and sanctions diplomacy at the United Nations.”
Reporting by Hyunsu Yim and Josh Smith; Adaptation by William Mallard and Jason Neely
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