North Korea launched what neighboring countries said appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a day after it fired a smaller missile and warned of “tougher military responses” to the United States, boosting its security presence in the region. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the weapon, which reached an altitude of 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles), was capable of traveling up to 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), giving it the range to reach the mainland United States. The test missile traveled 1,000 kilometers (622 miles) in an elevated orbit and landed about 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Oshima-Oshima Island in the northern Hokkaido prefecture, according to Japanese officials. “Of course we lodged a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in Thailand, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. His remarks were broadcast live in Japan. “We have told (Pyongyang) that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions.” South Korea’s defense ministry also described the missile as a possible ICBM, which is designed to carry a nuclear warhead. On Thursday, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile as its foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, warned of “tougher military responses” to US moves to boost its military presence in the region, saying Washington was taking a ” a bet he will regret.” “. In a statement carried by state media, Choe condemned Sunday’s trilateral summit of Japan, South Korea and the US in which the countries’ leaders criticized Pyongyang’s weapons tests and pledged greater security cooperation. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests, which are banned under United Nations resolutions imposed on Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, and there are concerns it may soon conduct its first nuclear test since 2017 . Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera that more countries needed to hold the North accountable for its actions, noting that the country is “illegally developing nuclear weapons and missiles, planning a long-term struggle against its neighbor . and flagrant abuse of human rights.” “Rogue state behavior is not only a problem for Washington and its allies, but a growing global threat,” Easley said in an email. After meeting last week on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, the leaders of Japan, South Korea and the US warned Pyongyang against conducting such a test, with US President Joe Biden reiterating that commitment of Washington to defend Seoul and Tokyo “is supported with the full range of capabilities, including nuclear.” The leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, also “strongly condemned” North Korea’s “unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches” and pledged to “establish even closer trilateral ties, in the field of security and beyond”. .
