अभी-अभी : नार्थ कोरिया ने जापान के ऊपर से दाग़े बलास्टिक मिसाईल, जापान में बजे ख़तरे के सायरन : वीडियो

Seoul: North Korea launches ballistic missile toward sea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to enhance his nuclear arsenal in more “practical and offensive” ways.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staffs said the launch occurred on Thursday morning but gave no further details, such as how far the missile flew and exactly what weapon the North fired.

Japan’s prime minister’s office warned residents in its northernmost main island of Hokkaido to immediately seek shelter inside sturdy buildings or underground. It said the North Korean missile was expected to land near Hokkaido at around 8 a.m. (23:00 GMT).

It’s the latest in a barrage of missile launches that North Korea has performed this year to protest South Korean-U.S. military drills that it views as a rehearsal for an invasion.

During a military meeting Monday, Kim reviewed the country’s frontline attack plans and various combat documents and stressed the need to bolster his nuclear deterrent with “increasing speed on a more practical and offensive” manner, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency.

KCNA said that meeting discussed unspecified issues related to strengthening defense capacities and perfecting war preparations to counter the threat posed by its rivals’ military drills.

North Korea has long argued that U.S.-led military exercises in the region are proof of Washington’s hostility against Pyongyang. The North has said it was compelled to develop nuclear weapons to deal with U.S. military threats, though U.S. and South Korean officials have steadfastly said they have no intention of invading the North.

There are concerns that North Korea could conduct its first nuclear test in more than five years since it unveiled a new type of nuclear warhead earlier this month. Foreign experts debate whether North Korea has developed warheads small and light enough to fit on missiles.

Thursday’s launch also came as South Korea accused North Korea of not responding to South Korean calls on a set of cross-border inter-Korean hotlines for about a week. The North’s alleged suspension of the exchange of messages on the communication channels could be worrisome because one of the hotlines’ roles is to prevent accidental clashes along the rivals’ sea borders.

Earlier this week, South Korean Unification Minister Kwon Youngse, Seoul’s point man on the North, expressed “strong regret” over North Korea’s “unilateral and irresponsible attitude “over the hotlines. Kwon also warned unspecified legal action over the North’s use of South Korean assets at a now-stalled inter-Korean factory park in North Korea.

South Korea pulled its companies out of Kaesong in North Korea in 2016 following a North Korean nuclear test, removing the last remaining major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. North Korean state media recently showed what appeared to be South Korean commuter buses running in the streets of Kaesong and Pyongyang.

The Japan News
@The_Japan_News
JAPAN GOVT SAYS MISSILE FROM NORTH KOREA NO LONGER LIKELY TO LAND IN OR AROUND HOKKAIDO

OSINTdefender
@sentdefender
The Ballistic Missile launched from North Korea is almost certainly a Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) due to the amount of time it has been Airborne over the Sea of Japan and what now appears to be the Japanese Islands; however it most likely

Sarwar 🌐
@ferozwala
#BREAKING
Japan govt says missile from North Korea NO longer likely to land in or around #Hokkaido

OSINT INDO-PACIFIC
@OSINTINDOPAC
#NorthKorea fires ballistic missile towards Japan. Emergency alert for North Korean ICBM missile launch.

North Korea’s missile has been flying for 50 minutes.

Sarwar 🌐
@ferozwala
Sirens going off in the #Hokkaido Peninsula in Japan after North Korea launched a ballistic missile.

#Japan govt warns that the missile launched by #NorthKorea can fall near Hokkaido Island & alerts residents to immediately take cover inside buildings or underground.