A man walks past a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile, in Seoul on Monday. | REUTERS
JAPAN TIMES | Published January 6, 2025
North Korea fired off an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Monday in its first launch of the year, the South Korean military said, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Seoul for what was likely his final visit to the region as top diplomat.
South Korea’s military said in a statement that the North had fired off what it believed was an IRBM toward the Sea of Japan from the Pyongyang area at around noon, with the weapon traveling some 1,100 kilometers (683 miles).
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that allied intelligence authorities had monitored the North’s preparations for the missile launch and “immediately detected and tracked” it, sharing relevant information with Japan.
A South Korean military official said that the weapon was believed to be similar to North Korea’s IRBMs tipped with hypersonic warheads that were launched in January and April last year, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Missiles carrying hypersonic warheads are seen as more capable of evading defenses than conventional ballistic missiles thanks to their ability to change direction midflight.
If confirmed to be a hypersonic missile, Yonhap reported, it would be the farthest distance covered by a North Korean missile of its kind.
Japan’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, also confirmed the launch of an unspecified ballistic missile, saying, too, that it had traveled about 1,100 km at an altitude of about 100 km before splashing down just outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The ministry said in a statement that Japan was working closely with the U.S. and South Korea to analyze the launch.
“The series of actions taken by North Korea, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community,” the ministry said in the statement, adding that Tokyo had “strongly protested and condemned” the move.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.japantimes.co.jp
RELATED: North Korea launches ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korea military
This picture taken on August 24, 2024 and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 26 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (front C) inspecting a performance test of drones organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defense Sciences at an undisclosed location in North Korea. KCNA via KNS/AFP
ABS-CBN NEWS | Published January 6, 2025
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Monday toward the East Sea, South Korea’s military said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
“North Korea sent unknown ballistic missile towards East Sea,” South Korea’s military said.
Monday’s launch took place while outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks with some of its key ministers.
The ballistic missile launch is Pyongyang’s first this year and comes after its last in November when it test-fired what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
That was North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine.
In response, South Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea in a show of force after Pyongyang’s salvo of missile launches.
South Korea, a vibrant democracy, has also been plunged into weeks of crisis by its sitting president Yoon Suk Seol, who declared a short-lived martial law decree on December 3.
North Korean state media last week said the South was in “chaos” and paralyzed politically over an attempt by investigators to execute an arrest warrant for Yoon.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.abs-cbn.com
Be the first to comment