Europe News Desk!!! North Korea on Thursday fired a long-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea, hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan are due to hold a summit on bilateral issues and regional security. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch at 7.10 a.m. from Pyongyang’s Sunan area, Yonhap news agency reported. The missile flew for about 1 thousand km before falling into the water. A month ago, North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Observers have raised the possibility of Pyongyang launching a solid-fuel based ICBM. Which is quick to fire and hard to spot before take-off.
Intelligence officials from South Korea and the US are conducting a comprehensive analysis considering the recent activities related to the North’s missile development programme, the JCS said in a statement. “We strongly condemn the ballistic missile launch by North Korea, which harms peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the international community, and is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” the JCS said. . Later in the day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plan to hold a summit in Tokyo, with the North’s nuclear and missile threats expected to be high on the agenda. Growing nuclear and missile threats from the North have given Seoul and Tokyo new momentum to move beyond their historic feud and work together to address the security challenge. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday.
–IANS
World News Desk!!!
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