North Korea fires ballistic missile days before South’s presidential election

Name: North Korea launches most powerful ballistic missile test since 2017, takes pictures from space
Uploaded: 2022-03-05T00:46:06.000Z
Duration: 2 min 2 s
Description: North Korea launches most powerful ballistic missile test since 2017, takes pictures from space

South Korea’s military said the launch involved a ballistic missile while Japan said the projectile flew a distance of 300km

The US condemned the firing by Pyongyang which was the ninth this year

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

North Korea test-fired a hypersonic missile on January 5. File photo: KCNA/Korea News Service via AP

Reuters

Published: 8:46am, 5 Mar 2022Updated: 2:14pm, 5 Mar 2022

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea to the east of the Korean peninsula on Saturday, militaries in the region said, an apparent test just days before the South’s presidential election.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch of one ballistic missile, and the office of Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also said it was a suspected ballistic missile.

The launch was the ninth this year. The last was on Feb. 27 when North Korea said it tested systems for a reconnaissance satellite.

The South Korean military said Saturday’s firing came from a location near Sunan, where Pyongyang’s international airport is located. The airport has been the site of previous tests, including the February 27 launch.

The launch underscores the challenges facing whoever wins Wednesday’s presidential election in South Korea.

South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) condemned Pyongyang’s “unprecedented repeated firing of ballistic missiles”, which goes against peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and the international community, according to a statement from the presidential Blue House.

South Korea will “even more closely monitor North Korea’s nuclear and missile-related facilities, such as Yongbyon and Punggye-ri”, and take necessary measures, the NSC said.

02:02

North Korea launches most powerful ballistic missile test since 2017, takes pictures from space