Japan says DPRK likely fired ballistic missile
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Japan confirms that a ballistic missile fired by the DPRK has landed outside its exclusive economic zone, with no reported damage.
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A photo provided by the DPRK government shows what it says is a test launch of a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, DPRK, on February 18, 2023 (AP)
A ballistic missile fired by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has already fallen, according to a statement from the Japan Coast Guard.
Based on information from the Japanese Defense Ministry, "A ballistic missile believed to have been earlier fired by North Korea has already fallen. Aircraft and vessels are requested to monitor the situation and, if fragments fall, not approach them and report them to the Japan Coast Guard."
The Coast Guard has urged aircraft and vessels in the region to remain alert, avoid approaching any possible debris, and promptly report any findings to authorities.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that the missile landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and confirmed there have been no reports of damage.
The launch marks yet another in a series of missile tests by Pyongyang, raising regional security concerns and drawing international scrutiny.
Earlier this week, DPRK fired several rounds of rocket artillery toward the waters off its western coast, fan action coinciding with the arrival of US War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the inter-Korean border.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, around ten rounds were launched from multiple rocket launchers into the northern part of the Yellow Sea, roughly an hour before Hegseth visited the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom. The DPRK’s exercise occurred as Washington and Seoul held high-level talks on defense cooperation and the continued stationing of US troops on the peninsula.
