North Korea conducted a new launch of a ballistic missile from its east coast on Saturday morning. The missile flew over 700 kilometers before falling into the waters of the Sea of Japan without causing damage. This was reported by the South Korean Yonhap agency, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, Focus writes.
According to the military, the missile was launched at around 6:30 a.m. local time from the coastal city of Wonsan. Intelligence services in Seoul and Washington have been monitoring the flight from its very beginning and are currently analyzing the collected data to determine the exact characteristics of the weapon. According to the South Korean government's initial assessment, it could be a medium-range ballistic missile (between 1,000 and 3,000 km) or a longer-range missile (3,000 to 5,500 km).
"Our military is closely monitoring Pyongyang's actions within the framework of the joint South Korean-US defensive posture and is fully prepared to respond decisively to any provocations", the South Korean command said.
The latest launch comes amid a sharp escalation in relations between the two countries following an incident in the demilitarized zone on September 21. At that time, three South Korean soldiers were injured in a mine explosion, two of them seriously. After an investigation, Seoul accused North Korea of deliberately laying the mine and called the incident a violation of the armistice agreement, demanding a formal apology and a halt to military activities along the border.
Pyongyang rejected the accusations, called the conclusions “fabricated” and warned of strong action in the event of possible retaliation by Seoul. This is another military test for the region, after North Korea launched two more short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on September 20. Despite the escalation, South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon said that Seoul would continue to seek diplomatic ways to reduce military tensions.