Monitoring Desk
PYONGYANG: North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile on Saturday in a surprise military drill to confirm the weapon’s reliability, state media reported. The missile flew for over 560 miles (900 kilometers) for 67 minutes and landed in the Sea of neighbouring Japan.
North Korea said the missile test showed the country was capable of countering hostile forces like South Korea and the United States. The launch comes ahead of joint military exercises between the US and South Korea next month, designed to help fend off North Korea’s mounting nuclear threats.
North Korea warns US of unprecedented response
Pyongyang has threatened of an unprecedently strong response to any such military drills – which it fears are being done to invade North Korea. On Friday, North Korea revealed its military power in a parade that included more than a dozen Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
Saturday’s missile, which is the first to be launched since new year’s day, splashed down west of Hokkaido, in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at 18:27 (09:27 GMT), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. The exclusive economic zone is a particular area of the sea that a country has right over.
Read Also: North Korea Unveils Stamp Featuring Leader Kim Jong Un’s Daughter
The careless behaviour of North Korea was strongly condemned by the G7 group foreign ministers, who are attending a security conference in Munich, Germany.
