North Korea fires ‘reckless and dangerous’ missile over Japan, residents warned to take cover
- Ballistic missile launch prompted Tokyo to activate its missile alert system and issue a rare warning for people to take shelter
- The launch was Pyongyang’s fifth in 10 days, amid military exercises by the US and South Korea
North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, prompting Tokyo to activate its missile alert system and warn residents in two prefectures to take shelter.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier said the missile had an intermediate range, while Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada later said it was believed to have an intermediate range or longer.
Analysts said Pyongyang’s latest actions represented a “significant escalation” compared to recent provocations.
“By now, North Korea’s short-range missile tests must suffer diminishing returns in terms of technical advancement, domestic political value, and international signalling,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a political-science professor at the Ewha Womans University.
The latest launch – Pyongyang’s fifth missile launch in 10 days – signalled that the country is “still in the middle of a provocation and testing cycle and is likely waiting until after China’s mid-October Communist Party Congress to conduct an even more significant test”, Easley said.