North Korea launches missile into Pacific Ocean
The Pentagon confirmed Monday that North Korea has launched a missile that flew over Japan and hit into the Pacific Ocean. The launched occurred at 5:57am North Korea local time.
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Pentagon spokesman US Army Col. Rob Manning confirmed the launch. He said, “We are still in the process of assessing this launch.”
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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs issued a statement about the launch. They state North Korea “fired an unidentified projectile.” This missile flew from an area near Sunan, Pyongyang towards the Korean Peninsula.
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Japan’s Chief Cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile passed over the Erimo Cape of Hokkaido. He said it is estimated to have fallen in the Pacific Ocean around 1,180km, about 733 miles, east of the Erimo Cape.
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Suga stated his concerns about the launch. He states, “We have to say that this morning’s launch by the North is the most serious and grave threat ever to us, as the missile seems to have passed through our airspace.” According to Japan’s NHK public broadcaster, Suga states, “It could endanger peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also very dangerous and problematic in terms of the traffic safety of planes and ships. The launch is an obvious violation of UN resolutions. We cannot tolerate these repeated provocations by the North. We condemn this in the strongest possible way.”
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke to reporters early Tuesday morning after the launch. According to NHK, he states, “We’ll immediately gather information and analyze it, and take all possible measures to ensure people’s safety.”
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Manning said that NORAD, North American Aerospace Defence Command, determined the launch did not pose a threat to North America. Manning states, “We are working closely with Pacific Command, Strategic Command and NORAD and we will provide an update as soon as possible.”
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A US official said that US spy satellites have been observing preparations for a ballistic missile test. The official says the assessment is ongoing. The launch comes days after Pyongyang fired three short-range missiles from the Kangwon province.
