North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile, says South Korea

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile in the direction of the sea on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula this Sunday (19), South Korean military said.

The missile, which was launched from the base of Dongchang-ri, on the North Korean west coast, flew about 800 kilometers before landing, according to a South Korean military statement.

South Korea condemned a series of recent launches of ballistic missiles into the North as a “clear violation” of a resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations Organization (UN). The releases also generated criticism from Japan and the United States.

“The behavior of North Korea threatens peace and international security and is unacceptable”, said the Minister of Defense of Japan, Toshiro Ino, adding that the country strongly protested through the embassy of North Korea in Beijing.

In a statement, the Indo-Pacific Command of the United States stated that the missile launch on Sunday did not represent an immediate threat to the country or its allies.

But, recent launches highlight the destabilizing impact of illegal weapons of mass destruction and two ballistic missile programs in the country, increasing.

At the last fifth fair (16), the North-Koreans fired an alleged intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, hours before the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, flew to Tokyo for a leadership that discussed ways of fighting the country.

Pyongyang revealed that the launch was an alert against the ongoing military exercises between the US and South Korea, second to the KCNA state media.

The South Korean and North American forces will begin joint 11-day military exercises dubbed “Shield of Freedom 23” early last week, carried out on a scale not seen since 2017 to combat the growing threats from the North.