North Korea fires second ballistic missile in a week ahead of US-South Korea war drills

A
TV
sc ee
shows
a
file
image
of
No th
Ko ea’s
missile
lau ch
du i g
a
ews
p og am
at
Seoul
Railway
Statio
(Pictu e
c edit:
AP)

No th
Ko ea
fi ed
a
ballistic
missile
towa ds
the
sea
off
the
Ko ea
Pe i sula’s
east
coast
o
Wed esday,
South
Ko ea
a d
Japa ese
autho ities
said,
ma ki g
Pyo gya g’s
seco d
epo ted
ballistic
missile
lau ch
i
less
tha
a
week
a d
comi g
days
befo e
majo
US-South
Ko ea
milita y
exe cises.South
Ko ea’s
Joi t
Chiefs
of
Staff
said
the
missile
was
lau ched
f om
the
Wo sa
a ea
o
the
No th’s
easte
coast
at
a ou d
6
am
(local
time)
a d
t avelled
mo e
tha
700
km
(435
miles).Japa ’s
defe ce
mi ist y
also
detected
the
lau ch
a d
said
the
missile
la ded
i
wate s
outside
Japa ’s
exclusive
eco omic
zo e
(EEZ),
betwee
the
Ko ea
Pe i sula
a d
Japa .Japa
said
the
missile
eached
a
maximum
altitude
of
about
90
km
(56
miles.The
latest
lau ch
came
two
days
afte
South
Ko ea
a d
the
U ited
States
a ou ced
that
thei
a ual
Ulchi
F eedom
Shield
milita y
exe cises
would
begi
o
August
17.The
d ills
a e
scheduled
to
u
u til
August
27
a d
a e
aimed
at
st e gthe i g
eadi ess
agai st
No th
Ko ea’s
uclea
a d
missile
th eats.No th
Ko ea
has
epeatedly
co dem ed
the
exe cises,
desc ibi g
them
as
ehea sals
fo
a
i vasio .
The
U ited
States
a d
South
Ko ea
have
mai tai ed
that
thei
milita y
t ai i g
is
defe sive.

Seoul,
Tokyo
co dem
lau ch

South
Ko ea’s
Natio al
Secu ity
Cou cil
held
a
eme ge cy
meeti g
followi g
the
lau ch
a d
desc ibed
No th
Ko ea’s
co ti ued
ballistic
missile
tests
as
acts
of
p ovocatio .
It
u ged
Pyo gya g
to
stop
activities
that
violate
UN
Secu ity
Cou cil
esolutio s.South
Ko ea’s
milita y
said
it
emai ed
p epa ed
to
espo d
to
a y
p ovocatio
u de
its
combi ed
defe ce
postu e
with
the
U ited
States.Acco di g
to
Reute s,
the
milita y
said
it
would
espo d
“ove whelmi gly”
if
ecessa y.Japa
also
lodged
a
p otest
with
No th
Ko ea
th ough
diplomatic
cha els.“It’s
a
se ious
p oblem
that
affects
the
safety
of
the
Japa ese
people,”
Japa ese
defe ce
mi iste
Shi ji o
Koizumi
told
epo te s.Japa ’s
defe ce
mi ist y
said
the
missile
la ded
outside
its
EEZ.
Koizumi
said
Tokyo
had
“st o gly
co dem ed”
the
lau ch.The e
was
o
immediate
stateme t
f om
Pyo gya g
o
Wed esday’s
lau ch.

Seco d
epo ted
lau ch
si ce
August
6

The
lau ch
follows
a othe
epo ted
ballistic
missile
test
o
August
6,
whe
South
Ko ea,
the
U ited
States
a d
Japa
detected
a
sho t- a ge
ballistic
missile
lau ched
by
No th
Ko ea.That
was
the
No th’s
fi st
epo ted
ballistic
weapo s
test
si ce
late
Ju e.
No th
Ko ea
did
ot
immediately
co fi m
that
lau ch,
although
Pyo gya g
ofte
eleases
details
of
weapo s
tests
a
day
afte
they
take
place.The
latest
lau ches
come
amid
a
b oade
co ti uatio
of
No th
Ko ea’s
weapo s-testi g
p og amme.
The
cou t y
has
co ducted
tests
i volvi g
sho t- a ge
ballistic
missiles,
a tille y
ockets
a d
othe
tactical
weapo s
this
yea .Expe ts
cited
by
ews
age cy
AP
said
No th
Ko ea
has
ofte
used
US-South
Ko ea
milita y
exe cises
as
a
p etext
to
i c ease
its
ow
weapo s
testi g.

Pyo gya g
co ti ues
to
expa d
missile
a se al

UN
Secu ity
Cou cil
esolutio s
p ohibit
No th
Ko ea
f om
co ducti g
ballistic
missile
lau ches.Howeve ,
Pyo gya g
has
co ti ued
developi g
its
missile
a d
uclea
capabilities,
pa ticula ly
si ce
diplomatic
effo ts
betwee
No th
Ko ea
leade
Kim
Jo g
U
a d
the -US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
b oke
dow
i
2019.No th
Ko ea
has
si ce
expa ded
its
weapo s
a se al
a d
testi g
p og amme.
Expe ts
say
Kim
may
seek
to
use
the
expa ded
capabilities
to
st e gthe
his
egotiati g
positio
with
Washi gto ,
i cludi g
i
a y
futu e
discussio s
ove
sa ctio s.The
latest
test
also
comes
as
No th
Ko ea
co ti ues
to
st e gthe
its
ties
with
Russia
a d
Chi a.No th
Ko ea
has
supplied
t oops
a d
ammu itio
to
suppo t
Russia’s
wa
i
Uk ai e,
while
elatio s
with
Chi a
have
also
eceived
e ewed
atte tio .Chi ese
P eside t
Xi
Ji pi g
visited
Pyo gya g
i
Ju e,
his
fi st
visit
to
the
No th
Ko ea
capital
i
seve
yea s.