Crashed after an hour
North Korea is suspected of firing long-range missiles
December 18, 2023, 3:36 a.m
Twelve hours after the last test, North Korea fires another ballistic missile into the sea. According to Japan’s assessment, this time it could have been an intercontinental ballistic missile.
According to South Korean information, North Korea has launched a second ballistic missile within twelve hours. The missile was fired from an area near the capital Pyongyang towards the sea off North Korea’s east coast, South Korean general staff chiefs said.
The Japanese Defense Ministry also said that North Korea had apparently detonated a ballistic missile. According to the coast guard, it fell into the sea west of Hokkaido about an hour after takeoff. The missile’s range and maximum flight altitude are unknown. The Japanese television station NHK reported, citing the Japanese Ministry of Defense, that it could have been a long-range missile. North Korea had already launched a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday evening (local time), which crashed into the sea around 570 kilometers off the country’s east coast. Depending on the design, such missiles can also be equipped with a nuclear warhead.
Just a few minutes after the launch, the Defense Ministry in Pyongyang accused “rogues” in the USA and South Korea of reckless military action. The arrival of the nuclear submarine USS Missouri in South Korea is the latest act to prove that the United States is considering nuclear war, said a ministry statement carried by state news agency KCNA. Government officials in Seoul and Tokyo had warned that nuclear-armed North Korea was preparing to test fire one of its intercontinental ballistic missiles this month. They reach destinations more than 5,500 kilometers away.