A ballistic missile with an intercontinental range was launched today from North Korea. confirmation comes from the South Korean army. Seoul «detected the launch of what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile towards the East Sea (the name given to the Sea of Japan in the two Koreas) from the Pionyang area at 10:00 (3 AM) today the South Korean General Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
The Japanese authorities, who had already foreseen the possibility that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), declared that it fell in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone around 11.15 local time (4.15 Italian time). According to the Japanese government, the latest North Korean test “violates United Nations resolutions”. Tokyo has conveyed its “strong protest” to North Korea through its embassy in Beijing, Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference today. Tokyo “will take response measures by strengthening cooperation with South Korea, the United States and the United Nations Security Council,” Matsuno added.
The last time Pyongyang launched an ICBM was on April 13, when it launched a Hwasong-18, its first long-range ballistic missile that uses solid fuel, which is more efficient than liquid. This launch coincides with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s attendance at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, with which Seoul has just expanded its cooperation framework.