North Korea has fired a possible ballistic missile off its east coast just one week after its leader, Kim Jong-un, vowed to bolster North Korea’s military capabilities amid instability on the Korean Peninsula, authorities in Japan and South Korea say.
No damage has been reported as a result of the incident thus far, according to the ministry.
Following the report, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ordered that the ministry collect and analyze any information related to the incident and that any updates be communicated to the public. Kishida also instructed authorities to confirm the safety of ships and planes in the area where the projectile had reportedly landed.
“We find it truly regrettable that North Korea has continued to fire missiles from last year,” he told reporters.
Kishida said other details about the North Korean launch weren’t immediately available, including where the suspected missile landed and whether there had been any damage.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that North Korea launched the missile eastward, noting that it’s currently analyzing the launch with U.S. intelligence authorities.
While Kim spoke of “principled issues and some tactical directions to be maintained in inter-Korean relations and foreign affairs,” the North Korean leader made no mention of his country’s dealings with the United States and South Korea in his speech.
Moon has pledged to “institutionalize sustainable peace” with North Korea, emphasizing that the “international community will respond” if both sides resume dialogue and cooperation.
“The government will pursue normalization of inter-Korean relations and an irreversible path to peace until the end. I hope efforts for dialogue will continue in the next administration, too,” Moon said in his final New Year’s address.
