North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday, according to South Korea and Japan, the latest in a barrage of weapons tests from the nuclear-armed state.
\nThe missile, launched from the Dongchang-ri site on the west coast around 11:05am (0205 GMT), flew some 800km (500 miles) before hitting a target, according to a South Korean military statement. Japan\u2019s Defense Ministry said the missile flew as high as 50km (30 miles).
\nSeoul has condemned the recent ballistic missile launches by the North as a \u201cclear violation\u201d of a UN Security Council resolution.
\nSoon after the launch, South Korea\u2019s Ministry of National Defense said the US deployed a B-1B strategic bomber to a joint air drill, which Seoul and Washington say they are holding to strengthen extended deterrence.
\nThe launches have also prompted criticism from Tokyo and Washington.
\n\u201cNorth Korea\u2019s behaviour threatens international peace and security, and is unacceptable,\u201d Japan\u2019s state minister of defense, Toshiro Ino, told a news conference, adding Japan had protested strongly via North Korea\u2019s embassy in Beijing.
\nThe US Indo-Pacific Command said Sunday\u2019s launch does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or its allies. But the recent missile launches highlight the destabilising impact of Pyongyang\u2019s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, it said in a statement.
\nThe North on Thursday fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, hours before South Korea\u2019s president flew to Tokyo for a summit that discussed ways to counter the North.
\nPyongyang said Thursday\u2019s ICBM launch was a warning against the US-South Korea military drills, state media KCNA reported.
\nSouth Korean and American forces kicked off the 11-day drills, dubbed \u201cFreedom Shield 23\u201d, a week ago on a scale not seen since 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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