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North Korea launched a projectile on March 24 that fell into the Sea of Japan. According to the authorities of that country and its neighbor South Korea, it would be an intercontinental ballistic missile, the largest it has launched since 2017. Washington and Tokyo condemned the event and agreed to take urgent measures against Pyongyang.
The North Korean regime launches the most serious provocation in years. This is reported by Japan, the United States and South Korea, whose Army reported that Pyongyang launched its “largest intercontinental ballistic missile to date.”
Seoul said the long-range missile, possibly an ICBM, was fired from its east coast on a high trajectory and fell into the Sea of Japan.
Japanese authorities indicated that the missile flew for about 71 minutes at an altitude of about 6,000 kilometers and a range of 1,100 kilometers from its launch site.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the launch as “reckless”, while Defense Minister Makoto Oniki said the missile had flown for about an hour before landing inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). his country, about 90 miles west of the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. There were no reports of damage to aircraft or vessels in the area.
“At a time when the world is grappling with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea is going ahead with launches that unilaterally escalate provocations against the international community, which is absolutely inexcusable,” Oniki said.
Pyongyang thus marks a record number of 12 ballistic tests launched so far in 2022. And this Thursday, March 24, is the first full-capacity launch of the largest missiles North Korea has launched since 2017.
Does North Korea seek to consolidate itself as a nuclear power?
This would also be a sign that the Kim Jong-Un regime has made significant progress in developing possible weapons capable of launching nuclear warheads anywhere in the world, including the US.
“It represents a serious threat to the Korean peninsula, the region and the international community,” said South Korean President Moon Jae-in, adding that it is a “clear violation” of Security Council resolutions. from the ONU.
United Nations Security Council resolutions have banned all nuclear and ballistic missile tests by Pyongyang and have imposed sanctions on its weapons programs.
Analysts note that the unprecedented frequency of Pyongyang’s missile tests this year is a clear sign that Kim Jong-Un is determined to cement his country’s status as a nuclear power, allowing the leader to address any future nuclear talk with the US from a position of power.
“Despite economic challenges and technical setbacks, the Kim regime is determined to improve its missile capabilities (…) It would be a mistake for international policymakers to think that the North Korean missile threat can be left alone. on the back burner as the world grapples with the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
The US condemns North Korea’s ballistic launch, but invites it to negotiate
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said her nation strongly condemns the launch, calling it a “blatant violation” of UN Security Council resolutions that risks destabilizing security in the region. .
“This launch is a blatant violation of multiple UN resolutions and unnecessarily raises tension, as well as posing a risk of destabilizing the security situation in the region,” the spokeswoman said.
#BREAKING: @PressSec statement on North Korea’s apparent ballistic missile launch: “A brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.” pic.twitter.com/SlmL2cmT9M
— Stephen Michael (@stephenreports) March 24, 2022
However, he also urged the North Korean regime to return to the dialogue table with the West on its ballistic and nuclear programs.
The United States urges “all countries to ensure that North Korea is held accountable for these violations” and Pyongyang to “come back to the table to develop serious negotiations,” Psaki stressed.
“The door of diplomacy has not been closed, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions. The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the US territory and its South Korean and Japanese allies,” he concluded.
The launch, which expanded North Korea’s barrage of weapons tests so far in 2022, came after the US and South Korean militaries warned that the country was preparing to fire its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, which it unveiled by first time in October 2020.
Pyongyang has carried out three full tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles and the most recent, in November 2017, involved a type of ballistic missile dubbed the Hwasong-15. The regime claimed at the time that the projectile could reach the entire US territory.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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