Tokyo (Japan)
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, the first such launch in half a month, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In the wake of the North Korean ballistic missiles, which fell in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida raised an emergency alert, urging all possible measures to provide the public with speedy and adequate information.
PM Kishida said Japan has lodged a protest with North Korea over the missile launch, reported Kyodo News.
He tweeted, "North Korea has launched a suspected ballistic missile. More updates to follow."
Kishida added, "Dedicate maximum effort to gather & analyze information, provide the public speedy; adequate information. Ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels, other assets. Take all possible measures for precaution, incl. readiness for contingencies."
The North launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, and the projectile had fallen into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, as per Kyodo News.
Japan is on alert over a possible projectile being fired by North Korea even after the expiration of an 11-day window on Sunday designated by Pyongyang for the launch of a satellite-carrying rocket.
According to Yonhap News Agency, earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the North's defence ministry issued a statement condemning what it called the "provocative and irresponsible" drills.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the Sunan area in Pyongyang between 7:25 pm and 7:37 pm.
The JCS said in a text message, "While strengthening its monitoring and vigilance against additional provocations, our military is maintaining a readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States", Yonhap reported.
Yonhap News Agency disseminates news in South Korea.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance, the allies concluded the fifth and final round of the Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise, the first of its kind in six years, on Thursday at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 km south of the inter-Korean border.
For the exercises, more than 610 military resources were mobilised, including F-16 fighter jets and Grey Eagle drones from the US side, as well as F-35A fighters and K9 self-propelled howitzers from South Korea.
According to the defence ministry of the North, the drills call for an "inevitable" response, and the allies are to blame for the rising tensions.
The spokesperson was quoted by North's official Korean Central News Agency as saying in a statement, "Our army strongly denounces the provocative and irresponsible moves of the puppet military authorities escalating the military tension in the region despite its repeated warning and warns them solemnly."
The official added, "Our armed forces will fully counter any form of demonstrative moves and provocation of the enemies."
The most recent launch took place at the same time as the South Korean military was working to recover the remains of a failed North Korean space rocket in the Yellow Sea.
According to the North's state media, on May 31, the North launched a rocket that it claimed was carrying satellites, but it crashed into the water due to the second-stage engine firing abnormally.
The North launched a missile for the last time on April 13. It asserted that it had launched a brand-new Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile with solid fuel.
The launch took place at the same time as the South Korean military was working to recover the remains of a failed North Korean space rocket in the Yellow Sea. According to the North's state media, on May 31, the North launched a rocket that it claimed was carrying satellites, but it crashed into the water due to the second-stage engine firing abnormally, reported Yonhap News Agency.
Earlier, on May 31, a military spy satellite was launched by North Korea which crashed into the Yellow Sea owing to an engine problem. Both South Korea and Japan had issued emergency warnings advising the residents to take cover indoors if they were outside.
Japan had termed North Korea's projectile a "possible ballistic missile," reported Kyodo News quoting the Japanese Defence Ministry.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed his country's space agency to finalise preparations for the launch of Pyongyang's first military reconnaissance satellite.
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, while emphasising that Japan considers the launching of a rocket carrying a satellite equivalent to a ballistic missile test on the basis of historical precedent, warned that following through on the plan would be in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
Sanctions have been imposed on North Korea for its weapons-related actions in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
Pyongyang, which launched missiles a record 37 times last year, has continued to launch ballistic missiles this year, raising suspicions that North Korea is planning its eighth nuclear test in the near future, Kyodo News reported.
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