DPRK's ICBM ballistic missile test could have range covering US: Japan
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The DPRK's missile test suggests an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with the potential to cover the entire United States, posing concerns about its range exceeding 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), according to the Japanese defense minister.
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A news broadcast in Seoul on Monday, with footage from an earlier North Korean missile launch. (AP)
On Monday morning, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a missile test, and Japan's defense ministry reported that the missile belonged to the intercontinental ballistic missile class, posing a potential range that could cover all of the United States.
"The ICBM-class ballistic missile launched this time, if calculated based on the trajectory, depending on weight of warhead, could have a flying range of over 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles). In which case the whole of the US territory would be within the range," said Shingo Miyake, parliamentary vice-minister of defense.
The missile seems to have traveled approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) with a maximum altitude exceeding 6,000 kilometers (3,720 miles), according to the statement.
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It "is estimated to have flown for 73 minutes and at around 9:37 am (0037 GMT), fell in the Sea of Japan 250 kilometers northwest of Okushiri island, Hokkaido, outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, or EEZ," he said.
"Japan lodged a firm protest against the launch, this time through its embassy channel in Beijing, and strongly condemned it," Miyake added.
Moreover, a State Department spokesperson said that the United States "condemns" the DPRK's latest test firing of a ballistic missile.
"These launches, like the other ballistic missile launches Pyongyang has conducted this year, are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," the spokesperson said in a statement to AFP, adding that they allegedly pose a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and could allegedly "undermine regional security".
DPRK fires ballistic missile toward Sea of Japan
This comes after the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday, citing the South Korean military that the DPRK has fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that they had detected the ballistic missile launch but refrained from offering additional details regarding the missile's speed and altitude.
Japan's Defense Ministry said the Korean Missile flew to an altitude of 50 KM and covered a range of 300 KM.
On the other hand, on November 23, the DPRK's defense ministry announced through the state's official news agency KCNA that it has officially withdrawn from the 2018 inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA).
The withdrawal signifies a departure from the military confidence-building measures aimed at de-escalating tensions between the DPRK and South Korea.
The decision comes just a day after South Korea suspended a portion of the CMA in response to the DPRK's launch of a satellite. The statement issued by Pyongyang emphasized that as a consequence of this withdrawal, the DPRK would be fortifying its border with South Korea.
This move indicates an intent to resume all military measures that were previously halted under the CMA, thereby heightening concerns about increased military tension along the shared border.
