[ad_1]
It is not yet known whether the missiles were short, medium or long range, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The US military and intelligence community is still analyzing the test launch data to determine what type of missile was fired and how far it went.
The United States tracks all North Korean weapons tests via radars and satellites, which can detect the heat signatures of a missile launch almost immediately.
Hours earlier, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that North Korea had launched unidentified projectiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
“The South Korean military has stepped up its vigilance and remained prepared in close cooperation with the United States,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, it is likely that the projectile landed outside of Japanese territory and its exclusive economic zone. Japan’s Coast Guard has warned ships to be on the lookout for falling debris.
The second test in less than a week
Officials and experts had anticipated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would try to send a message to the Biden administration about the country’s importance in the region.
In that test, a U.S. official told CNN that North Korea had launched short-range projectiles, possibly artillery or cruise missiles, not ballistic missiles, a key distinction that underscored the Biden administration’s view that it was not about a serious infraction and will not prevent the US from pursuing diplomacy with Pyongyang.
Pyongyang has “indicated that it is no longer bound by the unilateral moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests announced in 2018, suggesting that Kim Jong Un could begin flight testing an improved ICBM design in the near future.” , He said.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Report contributed by CNN’s Jake Kwon and Junko Ogura.
[ad_2]