Both the South Korean military and Japan’s coast guard said on Tuesday that North Korea had fired an unidentified ballistic missile eastward.
This launch took place during joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States and adds to a number of record weapons tests conducted by the communist country this year.
In Japan, the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Twitter that “a projectile that looks like a North Korean ballistic missile probably flew over Japan.”
The apparent North Korean fire prompted an unusual warning from the Japanese government that some residents seek asylum.
“North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate underground buildings or bunkers,” the government said in a warning issued at 07:29 on Tuesday (7:29 GMT). said.
Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported that the warning applies to the two northern regions of the country.
South Korean and US officials have also warned for months that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to conduct another nuclear test. Both sources said they believe this could happen shortly after the next Communist Party congress in China on October 16.
North Korea, the target of various UN sanctions for its weapons programs, typically seeks to maximize the geopolitical impact of its tests at the opportune moment.
source: Noticias
