North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its eastern coast Sunday evening, a short-range missile that fell into the Sea of Japan.
United States Pacific Command confirmed in a statement the missile was fired near Wonsan, on North Korea’s eastern coast.
“The missile was tracked for six minutes until it landed in the Sea of Japan,” the statement read.
“We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment. We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.”
The statement affirmed the American commitment to stand behind Japan and South Korea, and said the missile was never a threat to North America.
A National Security Council spokesperson told reporters at the White House that President Trump is aware of the situation.
“The United States government is aware. The president has been briefed,” the spokesperson said.
The Japan Times reported Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters the missile landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. The Japanese government has lodged an official protest with the North Korean government over the test.
North Korea has test fired multiple missiles in the last month and a half, including one just eight days ago.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launch was a “challenge to the world,” the Japan Times reported.
While many of North Korea’s missile tests are either failures or don’t go very far, the country is still considered the number one threat to the United States and its allies in the Far East.
President Trump has made a concerted push to get China on board with putting more pressure on North Korea to dismantle its weapons program. North Korea is a nuclear power, but does not yet have the ability to arm intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
North Korea successfully tested two nuclear bombs last year, according to the AP.
