North Korea allegedly fires long-range missile
Twelve hours after the last test, North Korea launches another ballistic missile into the sea. According to Japan, this time it could have been an intercontinental ballistic missile.
According to South Korean reports, North Korea has launched a second ballistic missile within twelve hours. The missile was fired from an area near the capital Pyongyang in the direction of the sea off the east coast of North Korea, according to South Korean chiefs of staff.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense also stated that North Korea had apparently fired a ballistic missile. According to the coast guard, the missile crashed into the sea west of Hokkaido around an hour after the launch. The range and maximum altitude of the missile are not known. The Japanese television station NHK reported, citing the Japanese Ministry of Defense, that it could have been a long-range missile. North Korea had already launched a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday evening (local time), which crashed into the sea around 570 kilometers off the east coast of the country. Depending on their design, such missiles can also be equipped with a nuclear warhead.
Just a few minutes after the launch, the Ministry of Defense in Pyongyang accused "rogues" in the USA and South Korea of reckless military action. The arrival of the nuclear submarine "USS Missouri" in South Korea was the latest act proving that the US was considering a nuclear war, the ministry said in a statement published by the state news agency KCNA. Government officials in Seoul and Tokyo had warned that nuclear-armed North Korea was preparing to test-fire one of its intercontinental ballistic missiles this month. They can reach targets more than 5500 kilometers away.
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Following the Japanese assessment, South Korea and international observers are closely monitoring North Korea's continuous rocket tests, raising concerns about escalation in the North Korea conflict. With Japan and South Korea on high alert, authorities in Japan have issued safety guidelines for residents near potential impact zones, citing potential threats from North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Source: www.ntv.de
