N Korea launches missile: S Korea, Japan call it ‘clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions’

North Korea has fired another missile into the ocean off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast (JCS) on Sunday, according to the Yonhap news agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea. 

The North Korean projectile may have been a ballistic missile, the Japan Coast Guard said, reported Al Jazeera.

The launch comes after North Korea allegedly fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before the president of South Korea travelled to Tokyo for a summit to discuss strategies to deal with their nuclear-armed neighbour. 

North Korean state media described the launch of the Hwasong 17 as a response to the ongoing, “frantic” joint drills by South Korea and the United States.

All of these drills are seen in Pyongyang as ‘invasion’ rehearsal, reported Al Jazeera.

The governments of Japan and South Korea both strongly denounced Sunday’s missile launch, calling it “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions.

Pyongyang’s repeated launches “threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community,” Japan’s defence ministry said in a statement.

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North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power last year, and Kim Jong Un recently urged a “exponential” rise in the development of weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons.

(With inputs from agencies)

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