According to the South Korean military, North Korea has apparently tested at least one nuclear ICBM. The country fired three ballistic missiles into the open sea in the east within an hour on Wednesday morning (local time). The first of these may have been an ICBM flying about 360 kilometers.
The Japanese Coast Guard also reported at least two launches. The missiles apparently landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. The incident came at the end of US President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia, which had stopped in South Korea over the weekend. The United States had warned that North Korea appeared poised to conduct a weapons test during Biden’s visit. North Korea has been conducting an unusually large number of missile tests since the beginning of the year.
Missiles can carry nuclear warheads
UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead. Pyongyang has been developing nuclear missiles for years. The country is therefore subject to strict international sanctions.
Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol agreed this weekend to take more measures to deter the nuclear-armed state. At the same time, they offered help to North Korea to contain the first confirmed outbreak of the coronavirus.
US warns of North Korea nuclear weapons test
The United States has been warning for weeks that North Korea could soon conduct a nuclear weapons test for the first time since 2017. The internationally largely isolated country had conducted a series of missile tests in recent months. This included the launch of an ICBM.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
