N. Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan: S. Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan on Friday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries announced. The latest in a series of the Kim Jong-un regime's provocations came three days after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution aimed at cutting the North's oil imports by a third. The "unidentified" missile fired from Pyongyang flew around 3,700 kilometers over Japan into the North Pacific Ocean, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It reached a maximum altitude of some 770 km, added the JCS. The missile was launched "at around 6:57 a.m. today from the vicinity of Sunan in Pyongyang," it said. The U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) confirmed the North's missile launch. "Initial assessment indicates the launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile," the Hawaii-based command's spokesman Cdr. Dave Benham said in an emailed statement. "The ballistic missile overflew the territory of northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan." But, he added, PACOM "determined this ballistic missile did not pose a threat to Guam," and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) concluded it was not a direct threat to North America either. Nonetheless, it demonstrated the North's capability to strike Guam, where key U.S. military bases are located, with its missile. Guam is roughly 3,400 km away from Pyongyang. It's apparently trying to hone the atmospheric re-entry technology for its various types of missiles. The South's President Moon Jae-in immediately convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting as the country's troops conducted ballistic missile training in the East Sea in response to the North's latest provocation. The military fired the Hyunmoo-II missile in consideration of the distance between the training site and the Sunan airfield, which is the "origin of provocation," the JCS said. The quick response represents the military's combat readiness, it said in a statement. Japanese media also reported that the North's missile overflew its northern territory of Hokkaido. The North's ballistic missile launch Friday marked the 11th since the South's left-leaning president took office in early May. Late last month, the North lobbed a Hwasong-12 IRBM over the island nation, followed by its sixth underground nuclear test. Its full range is estimated to be 4,500-5,000km. The North threatened to send four Hwagsong-12 missiles toward Guam. North Korea watchers say it may shoot a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the near future. The North plans to celebrate the founding anniversary of the powerful Workers' Party on Oct. 10. (END)