North Korea Fires Long-Range Ballistic Missile Toward Sea of Japan Ahead of Yoon-Kishida Meeting
North Korean rocket artillery fire a volley of short-range ballistic missiles in a drill
InternationalIndiaAfricaEarlier Tuesday, North Korea confirmed it had launched a pair of ballistic missiles that flew a distance of about 620 kilometers over the Sea of Japan. The launch had been preceded by another launch that took place before the start of the Foal Eagle military drills.North Korean launched an unspecified ballistic missile toward the Sea ofJapan early Thursday, the South Korean military has confirmed.Data collected by the Japanese Defense Ministry has indicated that the missile remained airborne for roughly 70 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 3,728 miles before falling outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.South Korean military stated that the launch of a single ballistic missile was out of Pyongyang’s Sunan area, at about 7:10 a.m. local time. Officials have described the projectile as an intercontinental ballistic missile, of which Pyongyang last tapped for a test-fire in mid-February.The test-firing marks the sixth such launch since the start of the year and comes as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to hold a summit in Tokyo.
The anticipated meeting between the pair of world leaders is expected to touch on challenges both nations are facing, as well as perceived threats from North Korea, which has carried out a string of missile launches in the face of recent military drills in the region.
The two-day meeting will mark the first time in over 12 years that bilateral presidential-level talks between the two nations have been held. Although Yoon last visited Japan in 2019, the trip was for the Group of 20 summit.
AsiaNorth Korea Confirms It Fired Two Medium-Range Ground-to-Ground Ballistic MissilesYesterday, 00:52 GMTFollowing North Korea’s Tuesday launch of two medium-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missile, Pyongyang detailed that missile tests were intended as a show of force against enemy targets amid the Foal Eagle joint drills between the US and South Korea.North Korea has repeatedly stated that military drills in the region are an act of aggression against Pyongyang and its leadership.