Washington and Tokyo conduct joint military exercises over the Sea of Japan
North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, its second launch in two days, believed to have fallen into the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced it had “detected an alleged long-range projectile at around 10:15 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. in Spain – launched from Pyongyang’s Sunan area.”
The missile traveled a distance of about 1,000 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 6,100 kilometers and a speed of Mach 22, according to the Seoul military, which described the launch as “a threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula”.
In statements to the press in Bangkok, where he is participating in an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assured that the missile would have fallen into the waters of the exclusive economic zone. (EEZ) of his country, near the northern region of Hokkaido. In addition, according to Defense Chief Yasukazu Hamada, the projectile had the capability to reach US territory.
“Based on calculations that take into account the trajectory, this time the ballistic missile could have had a range of 15,000 kilometers, depending on the weight of the warhead, and if so, it could have reached the United States,” he said. Hamada.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Kishida and the leaders of South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada vowed to put pressure on North Korea at an emergency meeting in Bangkok.
“We strongly condemn these actions and reiterate our call to North Korea to stop these illegal and destabilizing actions,” Harris told reporters.
Hours after launch, Japan and the United States announced that they had conducted joint military exercises in the airspace over the Sea of Japan, maneuvers that “confirm the determination” of the Japanese-American alliance to “respond to any situation,” it said. the Tokyo Ministry of Defense.
Russia accused the United States of “testing Pyongyang’s patience”. While Moscow remains “faithful” to a “diplomatic” solution for the Korean Peninsula, “the United States and its allies in the region (…) prefer a different path (…), Pyongyang,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov said in Moscow.
The firing came a day after North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile and its foreign minister Choe Son Hui warned of “more ferocious” military action if Washington strengthens its presence in the North Korean region of the Korean peninsula.
The White House has sought to strengthen regional security cooperation with military exercises in response to increasing provocations from North Korea, which sees such exercises as evidence of US aggression.
US President Joe Biden discussed measures to control North Korea’s weapons with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over fears that Pyongyang might conduct a nuclear test.
North Korea took center stage in the meeting between Xi and Kishida on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Bangkok on Thursday.
Experts pointed out that the launch of the ICBM, one of North Korea’s most powerful weapons, is a clear indication that leader Kim Jong-un is upset by such discussions.
“It is now estimated that it was an ICBM. If so, it sends a clear message to the United States and Japan,” said Han Kwon-hee, manager of the Missile Strategy Forum.
Weeks ago, North Korea conducted a flurry of launches, including an ICBM that Seoul said would have failed.
It also fired a short-range ballistic missile that crossed the de facto maritime border between the two countries, near South Korean territorial waters.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called it a “de facto territorial invasion”.
Both launches were part of the November 2 firestorm, which saw 23 missiles launched, more than in all of 2017.
Experts say the North is taking the opportunity to test banned missiles as it hopes to avoid new UN sanctions given the world body’s deadlock over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
China, Pyongyang’s main diplomatic ally, joined Russia in May in vetoing a US attempt to tighten sanctions against North Korea in the UN Security Council.
Source: La Verdad
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