Seoul, July 12 (BNA): North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) off its east coast today, Wednesday, which drew condemnation from the United States, as well as from the leaders of South Korea and Japan, who met on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Japanese Prime Minister Hirokazu Matsuno said the missile flew for 74 minutes at an altitude of 6,000 km and a range of 1,000 km, in what would be the longest flight time for a North Korean missile.
The launch followed heated complaints from North Korea in recent days, accusing US spy planes of violating airspace in its economic zones, condemning South Korea’s recent visit by a US nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, and promising to take steps to retaliate.
The White House condemned the launch and said it would take all necessary measures to ensure its security and the security of South Korea and Japan.
South Korean President Yoon Sok-yul, who is in Lithuania for a NATO summit, convened an emergency National Security Council meeting and vowed to use the summit to call for strong international solidarity to counter such threats.
Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held separate talks and strongly condemned the launch as a serious violation of several UN resolutions and a serious provocation leading to an escalation of tension.
Kishida said the launch threatens peace and stability in the region and beyond and requires closer cooperation between the two neighbors and the United States.
“We cannot condone these provocations, and we must respond to North Korea’s reckless actions with strong responses and the solidarity of the international community,” Yoon said in a previous meeting with Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The top military generals of the United States, Japan and South Korea gathered for a rare trilateral meeting in Hawaii before the missile launch.
Japan said the missile fell into the sea east of the Korean peninsula, about 250 km west of Okushiri Island in northern Japan.
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