CNN
—
North Korea has launched three suspected ballistic missiles, the Japanese Coast Guard said in a statement posted on its official website.
The Japanese Coast Guard issued a ship alert on Monday morning local time and advised vessels to “keep an eye out for more information”. The agency also told ships to steer clear of falling objects and report any sightings to the Coast Guard.
Prior to the statement, South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea had fired at least one unidentified ballistic missile into waters off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula.
A day before the incident, North Korea admitted to carrying out a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Saturday, its third known test of the long-range weapon in less than a year.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said a Hwasong-15 ICBM was fired during a “surprise ICBM launch drill” under written orders from leader Kim Jong Un.
The missile traveled 989 kilometers (614 miles) for almost 67 minutes at an altitude of 5,768.5 kilometers (3,584 miles), according to the KCNA report.
He said the test was proof of Pyongyang’s ability to launch a “deadly nuclear counterattack against hostile forces” and “clear proof of the certain reliability of our powerful physical nuclear deterrent”.
Saturday’s test came after North Korea warned on Friday of “unprecedented strong responses” if the United States and South Korea go ahead with planned military exercises.
Washington and Seoul are expected to hold tabletop nuclear exercises this week at the Pentagon, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced on Friday. The allies are also expected to hold military exercises next month on the Korean Peninsula.
cnn
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