- According to South Korea and Japan’s militaries, North Korea test-fired a new long-range missile on Thursday.
- The missile flew around 684 miles before falling into the waters of Japan’s economic exclusive zone.
- The Pentagon had warned that Pyongyang was planning a full-range test of its new weapons system.
North Korea fired is believed to have fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, according to South Korea and Japan’s militaries.
Citing the Japanese Defense Ministry, Reuters reported that the long-range missile flew for 70 minutes and traveled 684 miles before falling into the waters within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
According to Kyodo News, it landed in the sea around 105 miles west of Japan’s Aomori prefecture.
Thursday’s launch marks the first time North Korea had test-fired weapons of this scale since 2017 when it fired an ICBM system called the Hwasong-15 that flew for 53 minutes that the country claimed could reach any location on US soil.
According to the Pentagon, the launch also comes after Pyongyang unveiled and test-fired its new weapons system with larger missiles — the Hwasong-17 — on February 27 and March 5. US officials had also warned on March 11 that the nuclear-armed country was planning a full-range test.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in condemned Thursday’s launch, saying that North Korea had broken its promise to suspend ICBM launches and “clearly violated United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Busan Ilbo reported.
The launch on Thursday was North Korea’s 12th weapons test this year, Yonhap News Agency reported. On March 16, Pyongyang is believed to have launched another suspected missile that exploded immediately after launch, said South Korea’s military.
