South Korea announced that North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile Thursday, which sparked fear in northern Japan and made the Japanese authorities advise residents to be careful, but it turned out that there was no danger.
“new weapon”
In addition, a South Korean military official said that the missile appears to be a new weapon that was shown in North Korean military parades recently and may have used solid fuel.
North Korea has criticized a recent series of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea as an escalation of tensions, and has stepped up its weapons tests in the past few months.
solid fuel
North Korea is working on more solid-fuel missiles, which are easier to store and transport and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time.
“dangerous provocation”
South Korea’s military said the missile flew nearly 1,000 km, describing its launch as a “serious provocation”. The maximum height of the missile was not disclosed.
The South Korean military official said the maximum altitude of the missile was less than 6,000 km, the highest altitude in some of the record-breaking tests last year.
He added, “So far, we believe that they launched a new type of ballistic missile with medium or intercontinental range. We are still analyzing details such as trajectory, altitude, and range, with the possibility that it had a solid-fuel engine.”
“Back to conversations”
For his part, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the test and called on North Korea to return to denuclearization talks.
Meanwhile, Washington renewed its offer to resume talks, but condemned North Korea’s latest missile tests.
“The door to diplomacy has not been closed, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and choose diplomatic engagement instead,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
“Strengthening the military deterrence capacity”
The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening his country’s military deterrence in a “more practical and offensive” way to counter what Pyongyang described as the aggressive moves of the United States.
Japanese authorities canceled an alert for the northern island of Hokkaido when they decided the missile would not land nearby.
Schools in Hokkaido postponed opening and some train services were suspended.
