SEOUL: North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday (Jan 14), Seoul’s military said, days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the tense maritime border with the South.
“Our military detected one suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea” at about 2.55pm (5.55am GMT), Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
The statement gave no further details, adding that authorities in Seoul, Washington and Tokyo were analysing the specifications.
“Our military maintains full readiness by closely sharing information related to the launched ‘North Korean missile’ with the US and Japan,” the JCS said.
Japan’s coast guard also confirmed a suspected missile launch by North Korea, citing information from the country’s defence ministry, and warning vessels to take care.
North Korea’s last missile test was of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it fired into the East Sea on Dec 18.
The apparent test comes days after North Korea conducted a series of rare live-fire drills near the maritime border with the South, prompting counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some South Korean border islands.
Leader Kim Jong Un also earlier this week branded Seoul his “principal enemy” and warned he would not hesitate to annihilate the South, as he toured major weapons factories.
“The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea,” Kim was reported as saying on Wednesday by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), referring to the two countries by their official names.
Analysts said at the time that the shift was significant, signifying a shift in Pyongyang’s approach to Seoul into “ultra-hawkish mode”.