Webdesk: According to South Korea and Japan, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday.
A South Korean military statement said the missile, launched from Dongchang-ri on the west coast at 11:05am (0205 GMT), travelled 800km (500 miles) before hitting a target. Japan’s Defense Ministry stated the missile flew 50km (30 miles).
North Korea’s ballistic missile launches violated a UN Security Council resolution, according to Seoul.
South Korea said the US sent a B-1B strategic bomber to a combined air drill shortly after the launch.
Japan and Washington criticised the launches.
“North Korea’s behaviour affects international peace and security, and is unacceptable,” Japan’s state minister Toshiro Ino, told a news conference.
US Indo-Pacific Command said Sunday’s missile does not immediately threaten US people or allies. It claimed Pyongyang’s illicit weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes destabilise the region.
The North fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea’s president went to Tokyo for a summit on countering the North.
Pyongyang warned against US-South Korea military drills with Thursday’s ICBM launch, KCNA claimed.
A week ago, South Korean and US soldiers began the 11-day “Freedom Shield 23” drills, the largest since 2017.
