Korean Peninsula | North Korea launches ballistic missile and calls US a 'war gangster'

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Sunday, South Korea's armed forces and Japan's coast guard said, according to the Reuters news agency.

According to the Japanese Coast Guard, the missile fell into the Sea of ​​Japan. The missile appears to have fallen outside Japan's economic zone.

Japanese and South Korean officials had previously warned that North Korea was expected to conduct a missile test this month.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the missile was at an altitude of about 50 kilometers and flew about 400 kilometers.

Under half an hour after the launch, North Korea's state news agency KCNA published a statement from the country's Ministry of Defense.

In a statement, the representative of the ministry accused the “war gangsters” of the United States and South Korea of ​​inciting tensions with military exercises, displays of force and planning a nuclear war. The statement separately mentioned the arrival of the US nuclear submarine USS Missouri in Busan, South Korea on Sunday.

“The Armed Forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will thoroughly neutralize the efforts of the United States and its vassals to start a nuclear war, thus ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry said.

North Korea also said that using nuclear weapons against it would result in a pre-emptive and devastating response.

The United States had announced on Saturday that North Korea's use of nuclear weapons against the United States or South Korea would lead to the North Korean ruling Kim Jong-un until the end of the administration.

In recent months, the United States and South Korea have sought to intensify their military cooperation and increase military displays of force to increase deterrence against North Korea. In the past, US nuclear submarines rarely visited South Korea.