Military officials in South Korea and Japan said North Korea fired what could have been a ballistic missile on Sunday, the first test since the nuclear-armed country conducted a record number of launches in January.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, a North Korean ballistic missile was fired toward the sea in the vicinity of Pyongyang’s international airport from a location near Sunan, where the airport is located. Defence Minister of Japan said the missile may have flown as high as 600 Km with a projectile of 300 Km.
The latest launch came less than two weeks ahead of South Korea’s presidential election, slated to be held on March 9. Seoul fears that Pyongyang may push ahead with missile development while international attention is focused on Russian invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea’s National Security Council convened an emergency meeting to discuss an emergency the missile launch by North Korea. “Launching a ballistic missile at a time when the world is making efforts to resolve the Ukraine war is never desirable for peace and stability in the world, the region, and on the Korean Peninsula,” the official statement said.
