Nuclear-armed North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s defense ministry said, days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions.
SEOUL, South Korea — Nuclear-armed North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s defense ministry said, days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions.
“At 06:42 am (2142 GMT Tuesday) today, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from Sinpo area into the Sea of Japan,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said the missile had flown some 60 kilometres (about 40 miles), adding South Korea and the United States were analyzing its flight path to determine its type.
“The military is keeping a close watch over North Korea’s provocative moves and maintaining a high defense posture”, it said.
The launch is likely to fuel international concerns about the hermit state’s weapons program.
Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
Wednesday’s launch came after President Donald Trump threatened the US was prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel if China did not step in, and ahead of a meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
