N. Korea launches ballistic missile toward Sea of Japan amid landmine blast spat
SEOUL (Kyodo) -- North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, the South Korean military said, following a recent spat
Saturday, North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean military. The incident occurred following a recent series of confrontations between Pyongyang and Seoul, which began with landmine explosions. The missile was launched from an area near Wonsan, in Kangwon Province, around 6:30 a.m. local time.
It traveled approximately 680 kilometers before landing in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, as reported by Japan's Defense Ministry. There were no immediate casualties or damage reported. In response to the missile launch, Japan lodged a formal protest with North Korea, asserting that the action constituted a violation of U.N.
Security Council resolutions prohibiting such activities. The South Korean military conducted a preliminary assessment on Monday, suggesting that North Korea may have placed landmines along the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that subsequently exploded, injuring three South Korean soldiers on September 21. North Korea vehemently denied any involvement in the mine explosions, accusing Seoul of exacerbating the situation by creating a "farce" of its own making, as stated in the country's official news outlet.
On September 20, North Korea carried out two additional short-range ballistic missile launches, marking its second such activity within the same month.
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