TOKYO: North Korea launched another missile that flew over northern Japan before plunging into the Pacific, drawing condemnation from countries in the region and prompting yet another emergency session of the UN Security Council. The missile flew about 3,700 kilometres, reaching a maximum altitude of 770 kilometres, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday.
The distance would have been enough to reach the US territory of Guam, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters.
The latest launch was apparently intended to test the newly developed missile’s performance and its flight distance, Onodera said. Japanese defence officials believe the missile has a range of up to 5,000 kilometres.
Friday’s launch came less than two weeks after North Korea carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, and a day after Pyongyany made threats against the US and its allies, including Japan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the launch and, in a statement on Friday, called on North Korea’s leadership to “cease further testing, comply with the relevant Security Council resolutions, and allow space to explore the resumption of sincere dialogue on denuclearization.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Tokyo “absolutely cannot tolerate an outrageous act like this.” — dpa
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