Alwaght- North Korea has test fired on Sunday a ballistic missile in the direction of Japan that landed into the sea before reaching Japan’s territories.
"The flight distance was about 500 kilometers, and South Korea and the United States are conducting a close-up analysis on additional information,” South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Reuters also quoted spokesman of US Strategic Command as saying that they have detected and tracked what they "assess was a North Korean missile launch at 4:55 p.m. CST".
"The launch of a medium- or intermediate-range ballistic missile occurred near the northwestern city of Kusong."
South Korean military earlier said that the missile “appears not be an ICBM in terms of range,” as cited by Yonhap news agency. Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang was preparing to test a new intercontinental ballistic missile in his New Year speech.
The suspected missile type is Hwasong-10, or Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile, which has a range of 3,000 kilometers.
"Our assessment is that it is part of a show of force in response to the new US administration’s hardline position against the North,” the military said.
The launch comes just a day after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, during which Trump emphasized US military support for Japan, calling their alliance “a cornerstone of peace, prosperity, and freedom” in a joint statement.
The leaders also pledged to exert joint pressure on North Korea, “strongly” urging it to scrap the nuclear and ballistic missile programs and “not take any further provocative actions."
Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, spoke to his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan Jin after the latest launch. They both condemned the test and agreed "to seek all possible options" to deter North Korea.
The US maintains 47,000 military service members in Japan, mostly on the southern island of Okinawa.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump frequently criticized Washington’s commitment to its defense agreement with Japan.
