North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) just hours before South Korean and Japanese leaders were set to meet for historic negotiations.
Both Japanese and South Korean officials verified the launch of the long-range missile on Thursday morning.
It flew around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed in waters west of Japan.
That is Pyongyang’s fourth missile launch in a week, and it comes as the United States and South Korea conduct combined naval exercises.
The other missiles that were launched last Thursday, Saturday and Monday were short-range ballistic missiles.
North Korea’s increased missile activity is likely to be at the top of the agenda when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol meets Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo later Thursday – the first such meeting in 12 years.
The United States and South Korea have been conducting drills near the Korean peninsula since Monday, the largest in five years. North Korea has stated repeatedly that such exercises are provocative.
The missile was launched from Pyongyang on North Korea’s east coast at 07:10 (22:10 GMT), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Service.
The Japanese defense ministry acknowledged that it was an ICBM and that it went higher than 6,000 kilometers for around 70 minutes. According to the ministry, it landed at about 08:20 outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Officials in Japan have reported no damage from the missile.
Following the commencement on Thursday, Mr. Yoon directed that the joint US drills continue as planned.
North Korea recently fired an ICBM less than a month ago, prompting a UN emergency meeting and criticism from the G7.
Because of their vast range, ICBMs are particularly concerning. According to experts, such missiles launched from North Korea might theoretically reach the United States mainland.
Pyongyang is also thought to have built ICBMs with several warheads.
The recent increase in North Korean aggressiveness is one of the key subjects to be tackled at the Tokyo conference on Thursday.
Many expect the summit, which has been dubbed a “milestone” in South Korea-Japan relations, to result in stronger security ties and military collaboration between the two countries.
Following Thursday’s missile launch, both countries stated they would meet their national security councils.
Despite a slew of restrictions imposed by the UN, the US, the EU, and its neighbors, North Korea launched more than 90 missiles in 2022, the most it has ever fired in a single year.
North Korea’s nuclear strategy has become more assertive under Kim Jong-un, who has overseen much of the country’s recent weapon development and four of the six nuclear tests.
