North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday, breaking more than two months of silence from the rogue regime.
The Pentagon said an initial assessment shows it was likely an intercontinental ballistic missile that flew for 1,000 kilometers and landed in the Sea of Japan, inside that country’s exclusive economic zone.
“We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment of the launch,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said. “The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America, our territories or our allies.”
The U.S. said the launch occurred around 1:17 p.m. Washington time, or 3 a.m. in North Korea.
“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad,” Manning said. “We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tweeted that President Trump was briefed on the launch “while missile was still in the air.”
Multiple sources reported that Japan’s prime minister called an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers after the launch. South Korea’s military responded with a “precision strike” missile exercise, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The launch is the first in more than two months. North Korea previously fired 15 missiles and detonated one nuclear bomb in a nine-month span.
Japanese officials expected North Korea to launch, according to a Reuters report from Monday, due to radio signals that had been detected. Kyodo reported that the signals put the government on high alert.
North Korea fired two missiles that passed over Japan, with the most recent occurring in September, and the rogue regime has made clear its intentions of developing a weapon capable of reaching the continental U.S.
Cho Myoung-Gyon, South Korea’s unification minister, said Tuesday there were “noteworthy” movements from North Korea since its last missile launch two months ago. However, Cho said more time was needed to “see whether these are directly related to missile and nuclear tests.”
“North Korea has been developing its nuclear weapons at a faster-than-expected pace,” Cho told reporters.
The launch of the ballistic missile comes on the heels of President Trump’s 13-day visit across Asia, during which the president met with leaders of China, Japan and South Korea to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
The Trump administration placed additional sanctions on North Korea last week and added the rogue regime to the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Jamie J. McIntyre contributed to this report.
