North Korea launches a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, a short-range ballistic missile fired from North Korea on Saturday reached an altitude of roughly 37 miles (60 kilometers) along with its 373-mile (600-kilometer) flight.

The missile was launched, most likely from a submarine, at 2:07 p.m. local time from the Sinpo region of North Korea’s east coast, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. At 2:25 p.m. local time, the Japanese coast guard reported the missile had landed into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

The launch is being investigated by South Korean and US intelligence agencies, and the South Korean military is remaining ready, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Saturday’s launch comes only days after North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test on Wednesday.

This year, North Korea has increased its missile testing programme.

Saturday’s missile launch is the country’s 14th in 2022, including one that is assumed to have failed in mid-March.

In contrast, it only conducted four tests in 2020 and eight in 2021.

The South Korean military on Saturday labeled the repeated missile launches as “seriously threatening” acts that must be “immediately stopped.”

At a military parade on April 25, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to ramp up his development of nuclear arms at the “highest possible” speed.” Experts say the parade, as well as Kim’s rhetoric and the flurry of launches, offer a glimpse into his ambitions for his weapons program — particularly efforts to develop solid-fueled missiles that would be easier to hide from foreign spy agencies.

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