North Korea launches missile over Japan
UPDATE: SOUTH Korea has released an ominous video in response to North Korea launching a ballistic missile over Japan.
NORTH Korea has fired an “unidentified ballistic missile” over Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, sparking warnings for its citizens to take precautions.
The Japanese government issued a warning over radio and TV as sirens blared and text messages were fired off across northern Japan instructing people in the missile’s flight path to take cover.
Trains were delayed as passengers were urged to seek shelter inside stations. “All lines are experiencing disruption,” one sign on Sapporo’s metro system read. “Reason: Ballistic missile launch.” The UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting at Tokyo and Washington’s request, which is expected to take place later today.
The test, which appeared to be a recently developed intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile designed to carry a nuclear payload, came as US and South Korean forces conduct annual military drills on the peninsula, against which North Korea strenuously objects.
South Korea has responded to the test by conducting a live-fire drill and releasing a video of what it claims shows its own missile test conducted last week.
NEW: #SouthKorea's Agency for Defense Development releases new footage of last week's Hyunmoo-II SRBM tests. pic.twitter.com/TfKaHWjgXh
— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) August 29, 2017
Seoul’s presidential spokesman Park Su-hyun said four F-15 fighters dropped eight MK-84 bombs that accurately hit targets at a military field near South Korea’s eastern coast.
It was the second time in three days that North Korea has launched test missiles in defiance of international sanctions, with a furious Tokyo calling the action a “grave security threat”.
The DPRK launched three other missiles last Saturday.
Today’s launch took place from Sunan the site of Pyongyang’s International Airport.
According to international security expert Brendan Thomas-Noone, today’s launch wasn’t surprising.
However Mr Thomas-Noone told news.com.au he believed the location was part of a message to the US that its missiles could now be launched from anywhere.
South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the country’s military sources, reported that Pyongyang today fired a projectile into the sea off the eastern coast of North Korea.
The “unidentified projectile” was fired just before 5:57am according to South Korean Joint Chiefs of staff and travelled east “and over Japan” landing in the Pacific Ocean.
Washington-based Geostrategic Consulting group Strategic Sentinel tweeted that South Korean and US Joint Chiefs chairs had agreed to take strong response including military measures against North Korea.
#BREAKING: In phone call, South Korea, US Joint Chiefs chairs agree to take strong response including military measures against North Korea https://t.co/HSyzZxngx6
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) August 29, 2017
KIM’S MESSAGE
Mr Thomas-Noone, a research Fellow in the Alliance 21 Program at the University of Sydney, said a lot of people in the international security community saw this test coming and he believed North Korea wasn’t showing any restraint.
He also said the US and Japan faced pressure to have a co-ordinated approach to the North Korean threat, which was difficult given the mixed messages from the Trump administration.
“This is exactly what North Korea wants,” he said.
“Kim is driving a wedge between alliance partners, this is how North Korea works.
“This administration has a lot of trouble being on the same page even among themselves when it comes to North Korea, with different messages coming from (secretary of State Rex) Tillerson and Trump.”
Mr Thomas-Noone said the new launching site was a message to the Trump administration.
According to Seoul the missile was launched from Sunan, which opens the possibility that North Korea launched a road-mobile missile from an airport runway.
The launch was North Korea’s 13th ballistic missile launch this year.
“This is a signal in itself,” he said.
“North Korea is saying to the US we can now launch our missiles from any site and taking our missiles out in a pre-emptive strike won’t be easy because we can launch them from anywhere and we have mobile capability.”
The last time a North Korean rocket overflew Japan was in 2009, when Pyongyang said it was satellite launch. It fired another rocket over the heavily populated country in similar circumstances in 1998.
Noting this wasn’t the first time the DPRK had fired a projectile over Japan, Mr Thomas-Noone said this time was different because of the technological advances made with its intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Mr Abe said he has spoken with Mr Trump and the leaders agreed to ramp up pressure on North Korea.
“We must immediately hold an emergency meeting at the United Nations, and further strengthen pressure against North Korea,” Mr Abe said after his 40-minute phone call with the US President.
“Increasing pressure — Japan and the United States are in complete agreement about this.”
Mr Trump also said the US was “100 per cent with Japan”, according to Mr Abe.
Dr Euan Graham, Director of International Security Program at the Lowy Institute, told Sky News the move was a gesture of defiance from North Korea.
He said it also showed the North wasn’t deterred by the latest round of sanctions China supported.
Dr Graham said Kim would have known US President Donald Trump was tied up dealing with a domestic crisis (floods in Texas) so may have taken the opportunity when he was distracted to conduct the test.
He said the location of the test was also interesting because North Korea had never tested from this site before and would have been an ideal way to boost his capabilities to his people.
JAPAN’S FURY
Alarm from JP Gov. "A missile was fired from North Korea. Please evacuate to a sturdy building or basement." #northkorea #Japan pic.twitter.com/38NNCteqY2
— Chiho komoriya (@Chihokomoriya) August 28, 2017
The missile passed over the country at 6:06am as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would take all precautions necessary to protect his citizens.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said there was no sign of damage and the country’s military did not attempt to shoot the missile down.
It flew 2700km, reaching an altitude of about 550km, and reportedly flew over the northern island of Hokkaido and broke into three parts before it fell into the sea about 1180km east of Cape Erimo.
#breaking Japan & South Korea now confirming a North Korean missile has flown over northern Japan. Unclear what type of missile. pic.twitter.com/YKA44u8Rm7
— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) August 28, 2017
The move sparked an angry response from Japan, with chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga warning it posed a “serious, grave security threat” to his nation.
Mr Abe further unleashed on the rogue state blasting the “unprecedented” and provocative action.
“Their outrageous act of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat and greatly damages the regional peace and security,” he said.
In an interview with Sky News this morning Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong called it a “highly provocative act and a deeply disturbing act.
She said it confirms once again that North Korea remains the greatest threat to peace and security and stability in our region.
.@SenatorWong says North Korea's latest missile launch is deeply disturbing and a highly provocative act. MORE: https://t.co/NPl96Nujtr pic.twitter.com/7lVEfgcdO1
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 28, 2017
CONDEMNATION GROWS
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull condemned the latest missile launch and confirmed the North had launched an intermediate range ballistic missile.
“We condemn this latest missile test in the strongest terms,” he told Adelaide radio 5AA.
“We have to continue the diplomatic and economic efforts to bring North Korea to its senses.”
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said today’s missile launch is a serious escalation which was in direct defiance of UN resolutions.
In a press conference Ms Bishop said it was possible that North Korea could be ramping up weapons tests as a way of strengthening its hand at the bargaining table.
She also said North Korea has fired more missiles than it has in previous years, and even if the tests failed, it gave them valuable experience and an “opportunity to learn.”
Ms Bishop also said Australia has made it known such tests were illegal and were viewed as a global threat.
She also believed leader Kim Jong-un was getting the message and was prepared to negotiate after not following through with the threat to fire missiles towards the US territory of Guam.
Ms Bishop earlier stressed the matter was serious, and North Korea was engaging in provocative behaviour.
She said it was dangerous and threatening for any nation to fire a missile over another’s territory.
“Make no mistake, this is a serious escalation of North Korea’s behaviour.”
She said it wasn’t yet known exactly what type of missile was launched.
China said tensions on the Korean peninsula have reached “tipping point” and urged restraint after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan Tuesday.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated Beijing’s call for peace talks, saying “pressure and sanctions” against North Korea “cannot fundamentally solve the issue”.
Russia on Tuesday said it was “extremely worried” about the situation in North Korea, hitting out at a “tendency towards an escalation” after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan.
“We see a tendency towards an escalation ... and we are extremely concerned by the general developments,” Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti state news agency.
TESTING TIMES
Today’s test represents a significant escalation by Pyongyang which had only this month threatened to launch a missile into waters off Guam.
Any such missiles would need to pass over Japan to hit this target.
Pyongyang’s first two successful tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last month were fired them on lofted trajectories which avoided travelling over the Asian island nation.
Japan has previously vowed to shoot down any North Korean missiles or rockets that threaten to hit its territory and deployed its Patriot missile defence system in response to the Guam threat, AFP reported.
Pentagon spokesman Rob Manning said the missile did fly over Japan and that the US was still assessing the situation.
He said North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) “determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.”
Visualization of #NorthKorea missile path that flew over #Japan and landed 180 km east of Cape Erimo in Hokkaido, #Japan. pic.twitter.com/RyjSccCaGo
— Aldin 🇧🇦 (@aldin_ww) August 28, 2017
GROWING THREAT
The projectile is the latest to be launched by the Kim regime which is rapidly expanding his country’s nuclear and missile program.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, several projectiles were fired from an area from the North’s eastern coast and flew about 250 kilometres into the Sea of Japan on Saturday.
The “unidentified projectiles” were fired in rapid succession, at 06:49am, 7.07am and 7.19am local time (7.49am, 8.07am and 8.19am AEST).
The tests were viewed as highly provocative and took place during the Ulchi Freedom Guardian South Korean-US joint military exercises.
The latest missile launch comes after South Korea’s spy agency claimed the North has completed preparations for a nuclear test.
South Korea’s presidential office and military said North Korea fired “several” projectiles in what was presumed as a test of its 300-millimeter rocket artillery system.
Meanwhile Japan’s military announced it will practice deploying antimissile batteries at three US bases in the country as concern grows about the North Korean missile threat.
— with wires
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