North Korea reportedly launched a ballistic missile and fired it over Japan.
The unidentified ballistic missile sparked concerns across Japan with authorities urging Tokyo residents to evacuate and seek shelter.
According to the reports, all train operations across northern Japan were temporarily suspended over fears that the missile was destined for the archipelago.
The missile eventually flew over Japan and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
The missile’s flight was confirmed by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff who claimed the launch took place on Tuesday morning.
“North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile east,” they confirmed.
The Japanese government also confirmed the missile launch.
“North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground,” the government warning – which was effective in northern parts of the country where the missile was headed – read on Tuesday at 7.29 am local time.
The presumed weapons test serves as North Korea’s latest warning in response to joint military drills between South Korea and the US.
While Kim Jong-Un sees these drills as potential preparations for the invasion of North Korea, Washington and Seoul reassured the joint exercises were of defensive nature.
According to TV Asahi, who cited an anonymous government source, the North Korean government might have been testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The source also suggested that the weapon landed in the Pacific Ocean nearly 2,000 miles from Japan’s coast.
The missile launch represents Kim Jong-Un’s fifth weapons test of the kind in the last ten days, whereas North Korea appears to be flexing its arms and provoking Japan and its allies by firing a missile directly over the archipelago.
“To maintain the unchallenged ‘unipolar world,’ the US interferes in the internal affairs of independent countries and infringes upon their legal rights by abusing the UNSC,” Jo Chol Su of Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry previously said as he accused the US of double standards.
“The US unleashed wars of aggression against sovereign states including former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq, but the US has not been called into question by the UNSC.”
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