A North Korean flag flies atop a 160-meter tower in the North Korean propaganda village of Gijungdong, in this photo taken from Tae Sung Freedom Village near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) – North Korea fired a ballistic missile at sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea and Japan said, about a week after Pyongyang pledged to develop its nuclear forces “at the fastest speed possible”.

The launch, which marks the North’s 14th known weapons test this year, comes days before new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol takes office on May 10. Its latest test took place on April 16 and involved a new tactical guided weapon aimed at boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities. Read more

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch around noon in the Sunan area of ​​Pyongyang, home to an international airport and from which North Korea said it fired its largest missile Intercontinental Ballistic System (ICBM), the Hwasong-17. , March 24. find out more

The missile flew about 470 km (292 miles) to a maximum altitude of 780 km (485 miles), the JCS said.

“A recent spate of ballistic missile launches by North Korea poses a serious threat to the peace and stability of not only the Korean peninsula but also the international community,” the JCS said in a statement, urging the North to cease such actions immediately.

The Japanese Coast Guard also reported a suspected ballistic missile launch by North Korea. Tokyo’s Deputy Defense Minister Makoto Oniki set the missile’s range at 500 km (311 miles) and its maximum altitude at 800 km (497 miles). He said the ministry was still analyzing the data to determine what type of missile it was.

“North Korea’s recent action, including frequent missile launches, cannot be tolerated, as it poses a threat to the safety and security of the region and the international community,” the prime minister said. Japanese Fumio Kishida to reporters, adding that his country had recorded a protest against the North. Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week pledged to accelerate the development of his country’s nuclear arsenal while overseeing a huge military parade as denuclearization talks with the United States remain stalled. . Read more

Officials and experts say it is too early to determine whether the latest test involved an ICBM.

In its March 24 test, the North’s first full-capacity launch since 2017, a missile traveled 1,080 km at an altitude of 6,200 km, with a flight time of 71 minutes, the JCS said.

“It could be an ICBM or something with a shorter range,” said Lee Jong-sup, new President Yoon’s candidate for defense minister, during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

The latest launch came as Yoon hammered out his foreign policy agenda after signaling a hard line against Pyongyang. Read more

Lee, a retired military commander who served as vice president of the JCS, told the hearing that he would strengthen South Korea’s deterrent capability to respond “severely” to nuclear and missile threats from the North.

Pyongyang recently stepped up weapons testing, resuming long-range missile launches for the first time since 2017 in March. Officials in Seoul and Washington have said it could also be preparing for another round of nuclear tests.

Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Gerry Doyle

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