International
North Korea fires 6th ballistic missile in one month amid COVID-19 pandemic
Pariah Asian nation, North Korea led by headstrong leader, Kim Jong Un has fired a sixth projectile this month as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed many lives.
Japan’s Self Defense Force said in a statement Sunday that the missile had landed outside the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from Japan’s shores.
“It is a serious issue for the whole international society including Japan that North Korea has repeatedly launched the missiles lately,” the statement said.
READ ALSO: US tells its citizens in Nigeria to get ready for evacuation amid COVID-19 spread
“We continue to put the utmost effort to collect and analyze information and vigilance to protect the life and property of Japanese citizens.”
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, two “short-range projectiles” were launched from the coastal Wonsan area on Sunday, and flew 230 kilometres (143 miles) at a maximum altitude of 30 kilometres (19 miles).
“In a situation where the entire world is experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19, this kind of military act by North Korea is very inappropriate and we call for an immediate halt,” the JCS said in a statement, according to Yonhap news agency.
Both South Korea and the US also acknowledged the launch, but were unable to confirm what type of projectile was fired, other than that it was short-range. Japan said it was “seen to be a missile.”
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...