North Korea Missile Launch Triggers Alarm In Japan As U.S. And South Korea Extend Military Drills

Topline

North Korea test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) towards its eastern coast on Thursday, triggering alarms across parts of Japan as tension in the region escalates amid ongoing joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea.

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea’s missile launch during a news program at the Seoul … [+] Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea.

Key Facts

North Korea launched an ICBM and two short-range ballistic missiles which landed in the Sea of Japan, with South Korean officials contending that the longer range missile failed mid-flight, Yonhap News reported.

According to Kyodo News, residents in Japan initially received an alert to seek shelter as the ICBM was expected to fly over the Japanese mainland but this was later changed after the missile landed in waters to the west of the country.

Thursday’s launch follows a series of other similar tests by Pyongyang in recent days and it could be leading up to a nuclear test, the Associated Press reported.

The launch prompted the U.S. and South Korea to extend their joint exercises beyond the original Friday end —a move that is almost certain to infuriate North Korea’s leadership.

Crucial Quote

In an official statement, the State Department condemned North Korea’s ICBM launch, calling it “a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and demonstrates the threat the DPRK’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to its neighbors, the region, international peace and security, and the global non-proliferation regime.”

Tangent

On Wednesday, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a press conference that North Korea was aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine by supplying it with artillery shells. Pyongyang reportedly sends these weapons via illegal shipments that pass through the Middle East and North Africa. The heavily sanctioned North Korean regime is one of the few around the world who have openly supported Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

News Peg

The missile that failed during its test fire on Thursday is believed to be North Korea’s Hwasong-17 ICBM. The Hwasong-17 is one of Pyongyang’s most advanced ballistic missiles and is designed to be capable of targeting the U.S mainland. The recent launches are also in violation of a series of resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that ban North Korea from testing ballistic missiles.

Key Background

Tensions have continued to rise in the region over the past week as the U.S. and South Korea conduct one of their biggest combined arms joint exercises, “Vigilant Storm.” North Korea has repeatedly expressed its anger towards the drills, calling them a dress rehearsal for an invasion. Pyongyang has warned it is prepared to use nuclear weapons to ensure U.S. and South Korean forces in the region “pay the most horrible price in history.” Tensions came to a head on Wednesday when both North and South Korea fired multiple missiles across the Northern Limit Line—the de facto maritime border between the two countries.