South Korea and Japan announced today that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile.
The South Korean General Staff announced that North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan at 2:58 p.m. local time.
This is the first ballistic missile North Korea has launched this year.
An official from the Japanese Ministry of Defense indicated that the missile fell outside Japan’s national exclusive zone.
Tokyo announced that the prime minister’s crisis department is working to assess possible damage in the area where the missile landed.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the media that he had given instructions to ensure the safety of air and sea elements operating in the region and to be prepared for unexpected situations.
North Korea last tested a short-range ballistic missile on December 17, and an intercontinental ballistic missile “Hwasong-18” on December 18 last year.
