N. Korea fires missile into Japan waters for first time
August 3, 2016
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects a drill for a ballistic missile launch by the Hwasong artillery units of the Korean People’s Army in undated photo released in July
North Korea fired a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time Wednesday, drawing an outraged response from Tokyo and ramping up tensions with the United States and South Korea.
The US military said the North had actually launched two Rodong intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, but one appeared to have exploded on take-off.
The launches followed a North Korean threat of “physical action” over the planned deployment of a sophisticated US anti-missile system in South Korea, and came just weeks before the start of large-scale, joint South Korea-US military exercises.
Japan said the one missile had landed in the Sea of Japan, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) off its northern coast and within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“It’s a serious threat against our country’s security,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “This is an outrageous act that cannot be tolerated.”
The United States condemned what it called a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology.
“This provocation only serves to increase the international community’s resolve to counter (North Korea’s) prohibited activities,” said Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross.
– Two missiles –
US Strategic Command said the two missiles were launched from a site in western North Korea at around 7:50am Seoul time (22:50 GMT Tuesday).
“Initial indications reveal one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan,” it said in a statement.
It was the first time a North Korean missile has been fired direct into Japanese waters. The second stage of a medium-range missile fired over Japan had splashed down inside the EEZ off Japan’s Pacific Ocean coast in 1998.
Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga slammed Pyongyang for providing no advance warning of Wednesday’s test.
“From the perspective of the safety of aircraft and ships, it is an extremely problematic, dangerous act,” Suga said.
The Rodong is a scaled-up Scud variant with a maximum range of around 1,300 kilometres (800 miles).
Pyongyang has conducted a series of missile tests this year in defiance of UN sanctions imposed after its fourth nuclear test in January.
On July 19 it launched three ballistic missiles — including one Rodong — in an exercise that the North said simulated a nuclear strike on the South.
– Elevated tensions –
That came just days after Washington and Seoul announced an agreement to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or THAAD, system in South Korea by the end of next year — a move condemned by Pyongyang and also vehemently opposed by China and Russia.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se said Wednesday’s missile test only served to “underline the need to deploy THAAD.”
Tensions on the divided Korean peninsula are also building up ahead of an annual South Korea-US military exercise later this month that involves tens of thousands of troops.
North Korea says such drills are a provocative rehearsal for invasion, while Washington and Seoul insist they are purely defensive in nature.
“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad,” Ross said Wednesday.
“We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation,” he added.
There are nearly 30,000 US troops permanently stationed in South Korea.
Pyongyang has repeatedly warned of pre-emptive nuclear strikes against the South and US targets there and elsewhere, although the main focus of its nuclear weapons programme is to develop a credible strike threat against the US mainland.
Since its fourth nuclear test, North Korea has claimed a series of technical breakthroughs for its weapons programme.
It said it had miniaturised a nuclear warhead and successfully tested an engine designed for an inter-continental ballistic missile that could reach the US mainland.
While some experts say the claims are exaggerated, most acknowledge that the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes have made significant strides.
North Korea launched ballistic missile, Seoul’s joint chiefs say
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (UPI) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile early Wednesday, according to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff. The firing took place at 7:50 a.m. and the rocket was launched from Unyul, an area in South Hwanghae Province, Yonhap reported. The missile was launched 15 days after North Korea launched two Rodong missiles and one Scud missile on July 19. Those rockets were fired from an area near the North Korean city of Hwangju and aimed for the Sea of Japan, or the East Sea. The rocket fired early Wednesday was also headed in the same direction. The provocation is believed to be a North Korea response to the South’s decision to deploy the U.S. anti-missile defense system THAAD
Asia on Edge After North Korean Missile Brushes Japan
North Korea Wednesday fired a ballistic missile that landed in Japanese territorial waters. Nobody was killed or injured. But the move is certain to further increase political tensions in an Asian region that is already tense.
North Korea is banned from developing nuclear and ballistic missile technology, according to a United Nations resolution. But it has repeatedly flouted the bans despite international sanctions that have weakened the economy of the largely isolated nation.
The missile firing may be part of North Korea’s response to last month’s decision by South Korea to deploy U.S.-made THAAD anti-missile missiles. North Korea has fired several in recent weeks.
Both the U.S. and South Korea have condemned the latest firing. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was reported to have described the missile shot as demonstrating “(North Korea’s) ambition to attack neighboring countries.” The reaction of China, North Korea’s only ally, and Asia’s superpower, is currently unknown.
Political tensions in Asia have been stirred by the recent Hague ruling against China over economic activity in the South China Sea and by the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
The effect of the rising political tension has already spilled over into the region’s entertainment industry. Rising nationalism recently caused one Chinese film “No Other Love” to dump its Taiwanese male lead. It also appears that China is taking reprisals against South Korea for its THAAD decision by restricting Korean coproductions and the hiring of Korean stars in Chinese movies and TV shows.
___
http://www.yahoo.com/news/m/a5070a9e-f3cb-3b37-ab38-0b790a80b7c4/ss_north-korea-launched.html?nhp=1