N’Korea fires ballistic missile after threatening US over spy plane incursions

North Korea has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into Japanese waters after threatening the United States over spy plane incursions into its territory.

Japanese and South Korean officials who confirmed the incident on Wednesday, said the long-range missile flew for more than an hour before landing short of Japanese waters.

The ICBM launch which was fired from Pyongyang’s comes after North Korea threatened retaliation against what it said were recent US spy plane incursions over its territory, with a vow to shoot down such planes, a Japanese official said.

“North Korea’s missile on Wednesday flew eastwards from Pyongyang for more than an hour before landing in the sea west of Japan around 11:15 local time (02:15 GMT),” Japanese Coast Guard reported in a statement.

Read also: North Korea fires first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile since 2017

“We strongly condemn North Korea’s launch of a long-range ballistic missile as a grave provocative act that harms the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the international community and is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Though Washington has dismissed the accusations, saying its military patrols are in line with international law, there are security concerns on the peninsula after North Korea tested new weapons last year.

The country had also conducted a record number of missile launches in 2022 including ones capable of reaching US territory after the the US and South Korea increased their joint military drills around the peninsula.

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