North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday, the military in Seoul said, the second launch in two days, as Pyongyang continues a record-breaking airstrike that raised fears of a nuclear test. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that a North Korean missile is believed to have fallen into waters in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the northern region of Hokkaido.
“A ballistic missile launched by North Korea is believed to have landed in our exclusive economic zone west of Hokkaido,” Kishida told reporters in Bangkok, calling the launch “totally unacceptable” and saying no damage to ships or aircraft had been reported. A South Korean defense official said he “estimated that North Korea fired an ICBM,” without giving further details.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff previously said it had detected “an unidentified ballistic missile fired in an eastern direction.” Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with Japan’s defense ministry saying Pyongyang fired a “suspected ballistic missile” as the coast guard warned ships not to approach the wreckage in the water. The launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile as its Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui warned Pyongyang that it would take “tougher” military action if the United States stepped up its commitment to “extended deterrence” against regional allies.
Washington is seeking to strengthen regional security cooperation and launch joint military exercises in response to growing provocations from the nuclear-armed North, which sees any such moves as evidence of American aggression. US President Joe Biden discussed North Korea’s recent missile tests with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping earlier this week and also spoke with leaders from Tokyo and Seoul as fears grow that the reclusive regime will soon conduct its seventh nuclear test.
North Korea was also at the forefront as the leaders of China and Japan held their first face-to-face talks in three years on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bangkok. Experts said the launch of one of North Korea’s most powerful weapons was a clear sign that leader Kim Jong Un was unsatisfied with recent talks. “It is now estimated to be an ICBM, if so, it is a clear message to the US and Japan,” said Han Kwon-hee, manager of the Missile Strategy Forum.
Rebooting
Earlier this month, North Korea conducted a flurry of launches, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that Seoul said at the time appeared to have failed. Pyongyang also fired a short-range ballistic missile that crossed the de facto maritime border between the two countries, landing near the South’s territorial waters for the first time since the end of the Korean War in 1953. President Yoon said at the time that it was “actually a territorial invasion.” Both launches were part of a Nov. 2 barrage in which Pyongyang fired 23 missiles — more than it fired in all of 2017, a year of “fire and fury” that saw Kim trade barbs with then-US President Donald Trump on Twitter and state media .
Experts say North Korea is seizing the opportunity to conduct banned missile tests and is confident it will escape further UN sanctions over the UN standoff over Ukraine. China, Pyongyang’s main diplomatic and economic ally, joined Russia in May in vetoing a US proposal to tighten sanctions on North Korea at the UN Security Council. Washington responded to North Korea’s anti-sanctions missile tests by extending drills with South Korea and deploying a strategic bomber. Pyongyang has also been under its own coronavirus blockade since early 2020, which experts say would limit the impact of any further external sanctions.
