This firing occurred off the east coast of North Korea and prompted the evacuation of some Japanese after it passed through the Tohoku region.
Source AFP
© JUNG YEON-JE / AFP
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LNorth Korea has launched an unidentified ballistic missile, the South Korean army announced on Tuesday (October 4th). The firing of this missile, which is part of an intensive test campaign launched by Pyongyang, took place in “the east”, said the high command of the South Korean army in a press release, without further ado. details. The Japanese Coast Guard also confirmed the launch of a North Korean missile.
Pyongyang, which has nuclear weapons, embarked on an intensive campaign of weapons testing this year, which culminated last week with four short-range ballistic missile launches.
Seoul, Tokyo and Washington on Sept. 30 conducted trilateral anti-submarine drills for the first time in five years, days after U.S. and South Korean naval forces conducted large-scale maneuvers off the peninsula. .
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US Vice President Kamala Harris was in Seoul on Sept. 29 and visited the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, on a trip to highlight Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to defending South Korea. against the North.
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Pyongyang has stepped up its banned weapons programs as talks have long stalled, conducting a record number of weapons tests this year and revising legislation to make its status as a nuclear power “irreversible”.
North Korea, which is subject to UN sanctions for its weapons programs, generally seeks to maximize the geopolitical impact of its tests by choosing the moment that seems most opportune to it.
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An act “vigorously” condemned by Japan
Japan on Tuesday strongly condemned the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile that Tokyo believes flew over its territory, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. “A ballistic missile probably passed over our country before falling into the Pacific Ocean. This is an act of violence that follows repeated and recent launches of ballistic missiles. We strongly condemn this,” Fumio Kishida told reporters.
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The missile led to a rare activation of the J-Alert system, which appeared on the screens of national broadcaster NHK, calling on residents in the north and northeast of the archipelago to take shelter. “North Korea at around 7:22 a.m….launched a ballistic missile eastward,” government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
“We are analyzing the details, but the missile passed over Japan’s Tohoku region (northeast) and then fell into the Pacific outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.” He said no damage or injuries were reported from the shooting.