On Thursday(KST), North Korea launched a ballistic missile with intermediate or longer range, as reported by South Korea and Japan. This resulted in an urgent alert for residents of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido to take cover. However, Japanese authorities later withdrew the alert, stating that an emergency warning system had incorrectly predicted that the missile would land near the island.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that his government would convene a National Security Council meeting to discuss the missile launch. Japan's Defense Minister, Yasukazu Hamada, stated that the missile appeared to have been launched in an eastward direction at a high angle. He further noted that the missile did not land in Japanese territory, and the defense ministry was currently analyzing the launch for additional details.
According to Japan's coast guard, the projectile fell into the sea east of North Korea. Hamada could not confirm if the missile had flown over Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The missile launch occurred just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the enhancement of his country's war deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" manner. This was in response to what Pyongyang deemed aggressive actions by the United States.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missile was fired at 7:23 a.m. (2223 GMT on Wednesday) from a location near Pyongyang. The South Korean military stated that it was on high alert and working closely with the United States.
North Korea has recently criticized a series of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, accusing them of escalating tensions. Consequently, North Korea has increased its weapons tests in recent months.
