North Korea launched an ICBM that Japanese officials said had sufficient range to hit the entire US continent.
The launch was reported by both South Korean and Japanese officials after the rocket landed 200km (124 miles) off the coast of Japan on Friday.
He was fired a day after North Korea’s conduct a smaller missile launch as he has warned of “fiercer military responses” to US plans to bolster its security presence in the region, saying Washington is making a “gamble it will regret.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris called an emergency meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Thailand with the leaders of Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand following the latest missile test by Friday.
“We strongly condemn these actions and re-call on North Korea to stop further illegal and destabilizing acts,” he said.
“On behalf of the United States, I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our Indo-Pacific alliances. Together, the countries represented here will continue to urge North Korea to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris holds meeting with leaders of Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand
The United States and South Korea held joint air exercises using F-35A fighters in response to Friday’s missile test, South Korea’s defense ministry said.
The missile could hit the entire US mainland
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected the launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). of North Korea capital region around 10:15 am and the weapon flew across the country and to the north east coast.
Japan said it appeared to have flown a high trajectory and landed west of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
South Korean and Japanese estimates state that the missile flew approximately 6,000-6,100 km (3,600-3,790 miles) at a maximum altitude of 1,00 km (620 miles).
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters the altitude suggests the missile was launched at a high angle and, depending on the weight of a warhead, the weapon has a range exceeding 15,000km (9,320 miles). listen), “in which case it could cover the entire mainland of the United States”.
It was North Korea’s eighth ICBM test in 2022, according to the US State Department.
The launch adds to a record year for North Korea’s missile program after it resumed testing ICBMs for the first time since 2017 and broke a self-imposed moratorium on long-range launches as denuclearization talks they froze.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has warned of more missile launches by North Korea and a possible nuclear test.
