North Korea launches ballistic missile

North Korea has launched a ballistic missile, according to multiple military reports, just weeks after the country tested an intercontinental rocket capable of hitting parts of the US.

South Korea’s military and Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, confirmed the report of Friday’s launch. In Seoul and Tokyo, the governments convened meetings of their national security councils.

US navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the launch occurred at about 14:45 GMT, but it was not immediately known what type of missile it was.

“I can confirm that we detected a launch of a ballistic missile from North Korea,” Davis said.

“We are assessing and will have more information soon.”

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing the country’s military joint chiefs of staff, said the missile was launched from North Korea’s Jagang province, and landed in the East Sea.

“There is a possibility that it landed within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone). We will be analysing it immediately and do our best for the safety of our people,” Abe said in Tokyo.

Missile’s ’45-minute flight’

Citing the Japanese chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, the Associated Press news agency said the missile “flew for about 45 minutes and appeared to have landed in the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone”.

The distance of the missile flight could have been more than 3,000km, Japan’s NHK said quoting a defence official.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The US military and South Korea had in recent days warned that North Korea appeared to be preparing for another missile test – possibly of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), or else an intermediate-range rocket.

North Korea created a stir on July 4 when it test-fired its first ICBM, which experts believe could have the potential to reach Alaska.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who personally oversaw that launch on America’s Independence Day, described it as a gift to the “American bastards”.

The test raised tensions in the region, pitting the US, Japan and South Korea against China, North Korea’s last remaining major ally.

After the test, the US launched a push at the UN for tougher measures against North Korea.

In all, six sets of UN sanctions have been imposed on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006, but two resolutions adopted last year significantly toughened the sanctions regime.

Missile-intercept system

Separately, the US military is preparing to conduct another test of a missile-intercept system in Alaska, perhaps as soon as Saturday.

That test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system had been scheduled before Friday’s developments.

The US has layers of missile defence capabilities comprising several components designed to take down different types of missile at different phases of flight.

Source: Reuters news agency