- Shaimaa Khalil, Jean Mackenzie and Kelly Ng
- in Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore
image source, Getty Images
The launch of the missile raised alerts in northern Japan.
A North Korean missile launch created confusion in northern Japan, where an evacuation order was issued but withdrawn 30 minutes later.
Alarm sirens sounded across the island of Hokkaido and residents were told to “evacuate immediately” Thursday morning.
Authorities later said the missile had not landed near the island and lifted the alert.
Tensions have risen in the region, where North Korea has already launched 27 missile tests this year.
The projectile flew about 1,000 kilometers, in what the South Korean military called a “serious provocation”.
No further details of the type of weapon being tested have yet been made public. Several reports say it could have been a long-range, solid-fuel ballistic missile. If so, it would be the first test that Pyonyang makes of this type of weapon.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff described the missile as a medium to long-range missile. The US National Security Council called it a long-range missile, while Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada described it as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-type weapon.
Meanwhile, Japan’s coast guard said the missile had landed in waters east of North Korea. Minister Hamada said he could not confirm whether the missile flew over Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Schools in Hokkaido delayed start times and some rail services were suspended, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
tension escalation
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that Pyongyang’s repeated missile tests pose a “serious and imminent threat” to the security of Japan.
Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, said the recent launch “uselessly escalates tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.”
In October 2022, there was another alert in northern Japan following the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile.
This latest launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his military to adopt a “more practical and offensive” style of war deterrence, state news agency KCNA reported.
The South Korean government is concerned that, over the past week, North Korea has not answered the two daily calls that usually with they do to each other.
Typically, the two Koreas exchange calls at 09:00 and 15:00 local time through a military hotline. These daily contact calls are intended to avoid border clashes.
On Tuesday, South Korean Unification Minister Kwon Young-se described the North’s suspension of communications as “one-sided and irresponsible.”
“Pyongyang’s provocations continue beyond its protest against the US-South Korean defense exercises because Kim Jong-un has not finished demonstrating his nuclear delivery capability yet,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor from Ewha University in Seoul.
“However, now that the North Koreans are literally not answering the phone, the lack of direct communication and diplomacy increases the risk of accidental escalation,” he added.
This is an important week for North Korea as it celebrates Kim’s 11 years in power.. The nation tends to mark these anniversaries with a display of its military progress.
image source, Archyde.com
North Korea usually marks its important anniversaries with a military deployment.
North Korea has been working to increase its nuclear arsenal and build increasingly sophisticated weapons. He has also criticized the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, accusing them of escalating tensions.
The recent missile launch also comes two days before North Korea founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday.the main holiday in the country’s calendar.
On October 4, 2022, residents of northern Japan were awakened by sirens and similar alert texts, after North Korea fired a ballistic missile at Japan.
The missile traveled 4,500 kilometers before falling into the Pacific Ocean, far enough to hit the US island of Guam if it had taken another trajectory.
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