North Korea tests missile ahead of US-South Korea drills
The suspected ballistic missile was launched towards Japan and likely fell just outside of its special economic zone, Tokyo said.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile from its eastern coast towards Japan early on Wednesday, according to neighboring countries. This occurred just days before joint military drills between the United States and South Korea, which Pyongyang regards as invasion rehearsals. The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at around 6:00 am (2100 GMT on Tuesday), as reported by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi described the launch as a "threat to peace and security in our region" and lodged a strong protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing. The launch is seen as a serious issue affecting regional safety. The missile test comes two days after the announcement of the US-South Korea joint military drills, set to commence on August 17.
These annual drills are a routine summer feature, aimed at coordinating defense against North Korea's nuclear arsenal. North Korea has consistently condemned these exercises, often conducting missile tests before and after the drills. North Korea expert Lim Eul-chul at Kyungnam University stated that Pyongyang is closely monitoring the upcoming drills and may stage a provocation if deemed necessary.
Following last year's drills, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed the exercises had become more provocative and prompted North Korea to respond with "proactive and overwhelming" countermeasures. In August 6, the US, South Korea, and Japan detected a short-range ballistic missile launch from North Korea, marking its first such activity since late June, although Pyongyang did not initially confirm the launch.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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