Tokyo, EFE.- The Japanese Vice Minister of Defense today described the new missile launch by North Korea as “absolutely unacceptable”, after Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles this morning.
“This is the seventh time they have tried to provoke and escalate the situation unilaterally. His actions threaten the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community and are absolutely unacceptable,” Ino Toshiro told the media.
North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea in Korea) during the early hours of Sunday morning (1:47 and 1:53 local time). As announced by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
As detailed by Toshiro, both missiles traveled about 350 kilometers and reached an altitude of about 100 kilometers, which is the seventh launch in two weeks by the North Korean regime.
It comes after the conclusion of naval exercises in waters around the peninsula in which a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has participated. Whose presence in the area has been criticized by Pyongyang.
Both missiles would have fallen into waters outside the Japanese exclusive economic zone (EEZ). No damage has been detected on ships that could be found in the area where they fell, according to the Japanese Coast Guard.
North Korean missile escalation
North Korea’s missile launches have intensified since the arrival of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group to participate in joint exercises with South Korea and Japan.
On the eve, a spokesman for the North Korean National Aviation Administration (NAA) said; that its recent missile launches are a measure of “regular and planned self-defense” against the United States.
This morning’s launch comes after Pyongyang fired two short-range missiles on the 6th. This is the 25th test of the Asian country so far this year and the seventh in the last two weeks.
