North Korea fires ballistic missile into Sea of Japan
A missile traveling that far at that altitude could be difficult for defense systems to trace.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired, likely from a submarine, at 2:07 p.m. local time from the Sinpo area of North Korea’s east coast. The Japanese coast guard confirmed the projectile had fallen into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, at 2:25 p.m. local time.
South Korean and US intelligence officials are analyzing the launch, and the South Korean military is maintaining a state of readiness, the Joint Chiefs said.
North Korea has stepped up its missile testing program this year.
Saturday’s projectile marks the country’s 14th missile launch in 2022 so far, including one that is presumed to have failed in mid-March.
By comparison, it conducted only four tests in 2020, and eight in 2021.
The South Korean military on Saturday labeled the repeated missile launches as “seriously threatening” acts that must be “immediately stopped.”
