North Korea launched two ballistic missiles early on October 9, according to authorities in neighboring countries, raising concerns in Washington D.C. and with its allies in Tokyo and Seoul.
According to Toshiro Ino, Japan’s state minister of defense, both missiles reached an altitude of 60 miles and had a range of 220 miles. The first shot was fired around 1:47 a.m. local time, followed by the second six minutes later.
“North Korea’s series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community,” Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s top government spokesperson, said, according to Sky News.
He said both fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, and authorities were investigating what type of missiles were launched, including the possibility of submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
The U.S. military said it was closely consulting with allies and partners after the launches, highlighting the “destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s nuclear arms and ballistic missile programs, ABC News reported.
Nonetheless, the U.S. determined that the latest launches posed no threat to U.S. personnel or American allies.
“The U.S. commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad,” the Hawaii-based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement, American Military News stated.
North Korea’s latest missile launches are a severe provocation that endangers peace, the South Korean military said on Sunday. According to the South Korean statement, they were launched from the Muncheon area on North Korea’s east coast.
Officials in Seoul have said that the recent increase in North Korean missile launches could indicate that the country is closer than ever to restarting nuclear testing for the first time since 2017, with preparations at its test site being observed for months.
North Korea has followed a pattern of inflaming animosities before attempting to wrest concessions from the outside world.
This year, North Korea has conducted a record number of missile tests, firing 40 ballistic and cruise missiles in 20 separate incidents this year, AP reported. This launch represents the seventh such event in the past few weeks.
Last Tuesday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile farther than ever before, sending it over Japan and prompting a warning for residents to seek shelter, according to Sky News.
North Korea, which has continued to conduct missile and nuclear tests in defiance of UN sanctions, stated on Saturday that its missile tests were conducted in self-defense against direct U.S. military threats and had not jeopardized the safety of neighboring countries or regions.
“Our missile tests are a normal, planned self-defense measure to protect our country’s security and regional peace from direct U.S. military threats,” stated KCNA, the North Korean state media, citing an aviation administration spokesperson.
By taking into account civil aviation safety in advance, the rocket tests “did not pose any threat or harm to the safety of civil aviation as well as the safety” of neighboring countries and regions, KCNA said.
On Friday, the U.S. and South Korea conducted joint maritime exercises, a day after Seoul scrambled fighter jets in response to a potential North Korean bombing drill.
