SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile into its eastern waters on Wednesday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his nuclear arsenal “as soon as possible.” as fast as possible” and threaten to use it against his rivals.
The launch, the 14th weapons test of the year, also came six days before South Korea’s new conservative president was to take office for his single five-year term.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectile had been launched from the North’s capital region and into its territorial waters to the east. The South Korean military was watching for more launches, he added.
For its part, the Japanese Defense Ministry said North Korea had launched a possible ballistic missile, without giving further details. The Japanese Coast Guard urged ships sailing in Japanese waters to steer clear of any potential fragments.
The Japanese government activated a task force to address the launch and noted that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in Rome to meet with Italian authorities, had given orders to finalize emergency preparations and protect the population. , as well as ships and aircraft in Japan.
Experts point out that North Korea’s large number of weapons tests this year, above normal, reflects its dual objective of developing its missile programs and pressuring Washington to freeze nuclear negotiations.
Kim is believed to be aiming to use his expanded arsenal to gain international recognition for North Korea, which he believes will help pressure the United States to relax international economic sanctions on his country.
One of the North Korean missiles recently tested was an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the entire US mainland. That launch broke Kim’s 2018 self-imposed moratorium on large arms tests.
There are also signs that the North is preparing a nuclear test at its remote test facility in the northeast of the country. If it happens, the atomic bomb test explosion would be North Korea’s seventh and first since 2017.
Kim Jong Un unveiled his most powerful missiles last week during a huge military parade in the capital Pyongyang, promising to develop his arsenal “as quickly as possible” and warning he would use nuclear weapons preemptively if his national interests were threatened.
