North Korea fires unidentified projectile: South's military
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired an unidentified projectile on Thursday, the South’s military said, less than a week after its leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile.
The projectile was fired at about 4:30 p.m. (8.30 a.m. BST) from the northwest town of Sino-ri, in an easterly direction, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It did not immediately release further details.
A South Korean official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the projectile was believed to have flown around 420 km (260 miles).
“You don’t know what missile it is just from how far it flew,” said Yang Uk, senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum.
“But one thing is clear - there’s no doubt that it is a missile.”
Such a range would likely be longer than most of the weapons launched on Saturday, when North Korea fired a number of rockets from its east coast into the ocean, sharply raising tension on the Korean peninsula at a time of stalemate in talks between North Korea and the United States.
However, on Saturday, North Korea also launched at least one short-range ballistic missile, which analysts said could reach up to 500 km (311 miles).
On Wednesday, North Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea, saying its tests on Saturday were “regular and self-defensive” and rejecting the notion that they were provocative.
South Korea responded to Saturday’s action by the North by calling for an end to acts that escalate military tension.
A spokeswoman for South Korea’s presidential Blue House said President Moon Jae-in’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, was closely monitoring the situation on Thursday through a video conference with the military.
Japan’s defence ministry said it had not detected any ballistic missile in Japanese territorial waters or exclusive economic zone and it saw no direct impact on Japan’s security.