North Korea on Tuesday fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, forcing Japan to issue evacuation notices and suspend trains during the flight of the weapon that is capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam.
The launch was the most provocative weapons demonstration by North Korea this year as it ramps up missile tests to a record pace. Two intercontinental ballistic missiles tested earlier this year were launched at high angles and short of their full range and so didn't fly over other nations' territories.
Japanese authorities alerted residents in northeastern regions to evacuate to shelters, in the first “J-alert” alert since 2017, when North Korea fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile twice over Japan in a span of weeks during its previous torrid run of weapons tests. “The United States will continue its efforts to limit the DPRK's ability to advance its prohibited ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs, including with allies and U.N. partners,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol also said the North's “reckless nuclear provocations” would meet the stern response of the South and the broader international community. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile's estimated flight distance is believed to be “the longest” among the past North Korea-launched missiles.
Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies, said the North likely tested the Hwasong-12 again on Tuesday.
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