North Korea fired what may be a new model of ballistic missile on Thursday, according to South Korea, sparking panic in northern Japan, where residents were told to seek refuge in buildings or underground, amid the possibility that the projectile would hit this territory or close to it, although any danger was later ruled out.
The anti-missile alarm caught Hokkaido’s island residents by surprise early in the morning (7:55 a.m. local time), as the missile was expected to land in waters around the northern island at 8:00 a.m. The alert was deactivated about 20 minutes later. Officials said the missile launched into the Sea of ​​Japan (called the East Sea in both Koreas) did not pose a threat to people on land. In the end it fell outside its territory and outside the waters of its exclusive economic space (EEZ).
The projectile flew about 1,000 kilometers, reported the South Korean army, which described the action as “serious provocation.” The missile’s maximum height has not been officially disclosed, though South Korea’s Yonhap news agency noted that it appeared to have been less than 3,000 kilometers, well below the height of some tests last year, which exceeded 6,000 kilometers.
The South Korean military declared it was on high alert and in close coordination with its main ally, the United States, which “strongly condemned” what the White House called a long-range ballistic missile test.
A South Korean military official noted that the test apparently involved a new weapons system displayed at a recent North Korean military parade. As the military continued to analyze the trajectory and range of the projectile, the Defense Ministry said it could have been a solid-fueled missile.
North Korea has been working to build more solid-fuel missiles that are easier to store and transport and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time. Although Pyongyang has tested short-range solid-fuel missiles, it has not tested such a long-range missile, Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation, told Reuters.
The missile was fired at 7:23 a.m. from near Pyongyang, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, meaning it could have been launched from an international airport near the capital, an important site for testing missiles of large size since 2017.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called a meeting of the National Security Council in response to the launch. Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile appeared to have been fired to the east at a high angle. The Japanese coast guard said the shell had landed in the sea east of North Korea, although Hamada could not confirm whether it flew over Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Following the deactivation of the hazard alert in Hokkaido, the top government spokesman defended the use of the system known as J-Alert, which has been criticized in the past for false alarms, messages delivered too late and not being much help for large areas. country where most homes do not have basements to provide shelter.
The launch comes two days after leader Kim Jong Un called for reinforcing the country’s war deterrence in a “more practical and offensive” way to counter what he called aggressive maneuvers by the United States.
While condemning the latest in a series of North Korean missile tests, the United States has renewed its offer for talks. “The door has not been closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and opt instead for diplomatic engagement,” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
North Korea has criticized the recent series of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea as an escalation of tension, and has intensified its weapons tests in recent months.
