Pyongyang didn’t initially comment on the launch but it followed the second test of what the North called a hypersonic missile – a claim Seoul cast doubts on.
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, ratcheting up tensions less than a week. The early-morning launch came as the United Nations Security Council met in New York to discuss last week’s test of what Pyongyang called a hypersonic missile, although Seoul has cast doubt on that claim. After an emergency meeting, South Korea’s national security council expressed « strong regret over the launch, » according to a statement from the president’s office. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters it was « extremely regrettable that North Korea continues to launch missiles. » The United States Indo-Pacific Command issued a brief statement identical to the one it issued in response to last week’s launch. Tuesday’s statement said in part that, « While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s illicit weapons program. The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad. » There were no immediate reports of damage to Japanese aircraft or vessels, according to Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno. « (The suspected missile) is estimated to have flown approximately up to 700 kilometers (435 miles) and landed outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, » he said. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had been fired from land at around 7:27 a.m. local time Tuesday (5:27 p.m. EST on Monday). Pyongyang didn’t issue any immediate claims about its latest test. The second one in a week came after six countries, including the United States and Japan, urged North Korea Monday to cease « destabilizing actions » ahead of a U.
