North Korea fires unspecified ballistic missile, 12th this year

The missile was still flying, according to a Japanese Defence Ministry official quoted by broadcaster NHK.

No further details were immediately available about the launch, which came barely a month after North Korea’s last launch and is its twelfth such launch this year.

This launch comes after North Korea made heated complaints in recent days over US military activities, accusing American spy planes of violating airspace in its economic zones and condemning a recent visit to South Korea by an American nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine.

North Korea has accused the United States of illegally flying over the economic zone eight times and warned of counter-action, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister and a key ruling party official, in a press statement said, “In case of repeated illegal intrusion, the US forces will experience a very critical flight.” She also claimed that South Korea had again impudently taken the lead in denying the encroachment on North Korea’s sovereignty and still the nation assert that it was a “normal flight of the ‘ROK’ and the US.”

The Pentagon earlier brushed aside Pyongyang’s accusations of airspace violations and said the US military had adhered to international law, reported KCNA. “The United States, as always, remains committed to safely and responsibly flying, sailing, and operating anywhere that international law allows and alongside our allies and partners,” Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary said in a media briefing.

This year North Korea test fired its first ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and conducted a failed attempt to launch its first-ever spy satellite on a new launch vehicle. United Nations Security Council resolutions ban North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology, including for satellite launches.

The Security Council, as well as a number of nations, have imposed sanction on North Korea for its missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

Analysts say commercial satellite imagery shows North Korea is expected to stage displays of military force, including a large parade, for an upcoming holiday on July 27 that commemorates its claim to victory in the 1950-1953 Korean War against the United States, South Korea, and their allies.

Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest points in years, and diplomacy is stalled after failed attempts in recent years to discuss Pyongyang’s denuclearisation.

(With input s from Reuters)

Updated: 12 Jul 2023, 07:42 AM IST