Japan claims North Korea lauched ballistic missile, third in two weeks

Japan's chief Cabinet secretary said that North Korea has fired a ballistic missile, which would be the country's third test in two weeks. At roughly 05:50, North Korea test-fired a probable ballistic missile, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced in a press briefing on January 14. Whereas, South Korea's military has also declared that an unidentified projectile had been launched into the sea off the country's east coast, according to various media reports on Friday morning.

Matsuno did not provide any additional information about the type of arsenal, flight path, or potential landing area. He stated no damage to vessels or aircraft travelling through the area had been reported, but he didn't elaborate on the launch. As instructed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Matsuno stated Japan is exercising extreme prudence in the event of an emergency. He also emphasised the significance of enforcing sanction measures enshrined in UN Security Council decisions.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno stated, "North Korea’s ongoing military activity, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, are threats to the peace and safety of Japan and the region, and are serious concerns for all of the international society.”

Kim Jong-Un's leadership had already chastised the US for implementing more sanctions in response to its last missile launches, threatening tougher and more public action if Washington maintained its confrontational approach. An unidentified foreign ministry representative praised the North's recent launches of alleged hypersonic missiles as a virtuous act of self-defence in a statement released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

Matsuno further added that, "Prime Minister (Fumio) Kishida has ordered the following three things: put all our effort into collecting information and provide accurate information to the nation as soon as possible, be absolutely sure of the safety of ships and airplanes and be fully prepared for the unexpected circumstances."

South Korea detected two short-range ballistic missiles

South Korea's joint chiefs of staff announced on Friday that they had detected two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) launched eastwards from North Pyongan province on DPRK's west coast. According to South Korea's joint chiefs of staff, the two missiles travelled around 430km (267 miles) to a maximum height of 36km (22 miles).

On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched the second test of a hypersonic missile, the first time he has been seen at a launch in two years. China, Russia, and the United States are all working on hypersonic weapons, which travel faster and are more manoeuvrable than conventional missiles.

North Korea maintains that its military modernization and missile launches are required for self-defence, and state media on Friday accused the US of deliberately aggravating the situation this week by putting penalties on people and encouraging the UN to take a harder stance against Pyongyang. Moreover, sanctions imposed by the United Nations in 2006 have been gradually tightened.

(With inputs from agencies)

(Image: AP)