Status: 02/18/2023 11:41 a.m
North Korea has apparently fired a missile towards the Sea of Japan. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, it could have been a ballistic missile. Tests with such rockets are actually forbidden.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea has once again fired a missile towards the open sea. The rocket was launched towards the Sea of Japan on Saturday (local time), the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military.
North Korea flouts ban again
The South Korean general staff initially did not say what type of missile it was. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, it could have been a ballistic missile.
United Nations resolutions prohibit North Korea, which is largely isolated internationally, from testing ballistic missiles of any range. Depending on the design, ballistic missiles could also be equipped with a nuclear warhead. Communist-ruled North Korea has repeatedly flouted the ban.
First test in over a month
The new launch would be the first test of such a weapon in more than a month, Japanese media reported. The North Korean Foreign Ministry yesterday threatened a decisive reaction after the announcement of joint maneuvers by South Korea and the USA. The ministry in Pyongyang announced that unprecedented tough action would be taken against rivals.
The maneuvers in March should be larger than in previous years. Seoul and Washington stressed that the exercises were defensive in nature. North Korea halted its missile tests in early January after testing more than 70 of them in 2022 – a more than ever in a year. Given Friday’s warning, it had been suggested it could resume testing. The conflict on the Korean peninsula has become explosive again since last year.