North Korea resumes tests with ballistic missile launch, say Japan, South Korea

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, officials in Japan and South Korea said, resuming its series of tests this year after a gap of almost a month.

Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the missile was fired toward the Sea of Japan and fell “outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone after flying about 300 kilometers (186 miles) and reaching an altitude of about 600 kilometers (372 miles).”

He, however, added, that there was no damage reported.

“We can never accept (North Korea) weaving through the gap to conduct a launch as the international community responds to Russia's aggression against Ukraine,” Kishi told reporters in Tokyo.

South Korea’s military said it detected the launch “from around the Sunan area in Pyongyang” early on Sunday morning.

North Korea’s latest missile launch, its first since Jan. 30, comes 10 days ahead of South Korea’s presidential election, and amid Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.

Tokyo has lodged a protest with Pyongyang through its Beijing mission as Japan and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations, according to a report by Kyodo News.

Japanese Foreign Ministry official Takehiro Funakoshi held a phone call with Sung Kim, the US’ special representative for North Korea, and the two countries and South Korea agreed to “coordinate to resolve the North Korean nuclear and missile issues.”

The US military’s Indo-Pacific Command “condemned the missile launch and called on North Korea to refrain from further destabilizing acts,” the report added.​​​​​​​