North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile, Japanese PM says

CNN
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North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile, the Japanese government said on Sunday.

The Japan Coast Guard reported the possible ballistic missile from North Korea appears to have already fallen.

The coast guard instructed vessels to pay attention to information and to not approach any objects which have fallen in the sea. It also asked vessels to report any relevant information.

On Tuesday, North Korea fired another missile, without warning, which flew over and past Japan, causing Japan to warn its citizens to take shelter.

The missile Tuesday traveled over northern Japan early in the morning, and is believed to have landed in the Pacific Ocean. The last time North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan was in 2017.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned if North Korea continues “down this road” of provocation following its ballistic missile launch Tuesday, “it will only increase the condemnation, increase the isolation and increase the steps that are taken in response to their actions.”

The US imposed new sanctions Friday, following North Korean recent ballistic missile tests, the US Treasury and State Department said.

North Korea usually fires its missiles into waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, making Tuesday’s flight over Japan considerably more provocative.

Not including Sunday’s presumed launch, North Korea has fired six missiles in the past two weeks, which is an increase, even in a year with the highest number of launches since leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011.

The aggressive acceleration in weapons testing has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises. The US has also redeployed an aircraft carrier into waters near the peninsula, a move South Korean authorities called “very unusual.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.