SEOUL: North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, just hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a rail line he hopes will eventually connect the divided Korean peninsula.
The first launch since October underscored leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year vow to bolster the military to counter an unstable international situation amid stalled talks with South Korea and the United States.
The presumed missile was fired around 8:10 a.m. (2310 GMT) from an inland location over the east coast and into the sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
Kim’s New Year speech made no mention of efforts by South Korea to restart stalled negotiations or offers by the United States to talk, though analysts noted that doesn’t mean he has closed the door on diplomacy.
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South Korea’s National Security Council convened an emergency meeting, expressing concern the launch “came at a time when internal and external stability is extremely important” and calling on North Korea to return to talks.
Japan’s defence minister said the suspected ballistic missile had flown about 500 km (310 miles).
“Since last year, North Korea has repeatedly launched missiles, which is very regrettable,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
United Nations Security Council resolutions ban all ballistic missile and nuclear tests by North Korea, and have imposed sanctions over the programmes.
