N Korea Fires Suspected Long-Range Ballistic Missile Over Japan

DPRK Fires Suspected Long-Range Ballistic Missile Over Japan, South Korean Military Says

Sputnik News

A day after a massive barrage into the Sea of Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has reportedly fired another weapon into the waterway, according to South Korean military sources.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Thursday morning that the launch of an "unknown ballistic missile" into the Sea of Japan had been detected.

According to Seoul, the missile was likely an intermediate-range or intercontinental-range ballistic missile, because a separation of rocket stages was detected.

An alert was sounded in Japan in the provinces of Miyagi, Yamgata, and Niigata, in north-central Honshu, for residents to seek shelter due to the launch. According to the Japanese government, the missile passed over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. The missile's flight time was roughly 30 minutes.

About one hour after the first launch, Seoul reported a second missile had been fired. However, it seemed to be a shorter range weapon, splashing down in the Sea of Japan within moments of liftoff.

The launch comes a day after the DPRK fired a barrage of 17 missiles and more than 100 rounds of artillery into the Sea of Japan - the most of any such bombardment.

Since the US and South Korea began major military drills in August, which rehearsed strikes on the DPRK, the socialist state has staged an unprecedented number of missile tests and artillery firing drills, including a variety of different weapons.