North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile That Lands In Japan
NDTV
The launch, Pyongyang's first in seven weeks, comes days before Seoul and Washington are due to start joint tabletop exercises aimed at improving their response in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.
North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Saturday which landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, Seoul and Tokyo said, after Pyongyang warned of a strong response to upcoming US-South Korean military drills.
The launch, Pyongyang's first in seven weeks, comes days before Seoul and Washington are due to start joint tabletop exercises aimed at improving their response in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.
Japan said North Korea "fired one ICBM-class ballistic missile" which flew for some 66 minutes before landing in the country's exclusive economic zone, chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Tokyo's defence minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile could have had the capacity to fly 14,000 km (8,700 miles) -- which would mean it was capable of hitting anywhere on the mainland United States.
