 |
| North Korea |
Officials in South Korea and Japan said the missile could be an ICBM, North Korea's longest-range weapon, and designed to carry nuclear warheads to the other side of the planet.
North Korea fired several ballistic missiles on Thursday, including a potentially failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), alerting residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek refuge. Despite an early government warning that a missile had struck Japan, Tokyo later said it was false.
Officials in South Korea and Japan said the missile could be an ICBM, North Korea's longest-range weapon, and designed to carry nuclear warheads to the other side of the planet. The Yonhap news agency reported that South Korean officials believe the ICBM flight failed. A spokesman for South Korea's Defense Ministry declined to confirm the possible failure.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the government had lost track of the missile over the Sea of Japan, prompting it to correct its declaration that it had flown over Japan. Yoji Koda, a retired vice admiral and former fleet commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, said the loss of radar tracking on the projectile points to a failed launch.
North Korea also launched at least two short-range ballistic missiles. A day after the launches, North Korea fired at least 23 missiles, the most in a day, including a missile that landed off the coast of South Korea for the first time. Seoul's foreign ministry said South Korea's Deputy Secretary of State Cho Hyun-dong and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman strongly condemned North Korea's series of missile launches during a phone call on Thursday.
