South Korea and Japan confirm that another North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile has been fired

North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, Seoul said, its third launch this week as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol heads to Japan to tighten ties and address Pyongyang’s rising aggressiveness. to take.

“Our forces have detected a long-range ballistic missile fired from the Sunan area in Pyongyang,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, specifying to AFP that it is an ICBM.

Japan’s defense ministry confirmed the launch, noting on Twitter that the missile would land “outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, about 550 km east of the Korean peninsula.”

The Japanese Coast Guard warned ships to watch for falling objects.

It is the third show of force since Sunday and coincides with the largest joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States in five years.

Japan-South Korea Summit

The new launch came hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan meet in Tokyo to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, among other things.

That summit, the first in 12 years, comes as the two neighbors try to mend diplomatic relations, strained by Japanese atrocities during their 35-year colonial rule.

Both South Korea and Japan have increased their defense budgets and joint military exercises, which Yoon says are essential for regional and global stability.

“There is a growing need for Korea and Japan to work together at this time of crisis, with the escalation of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” Yoon said in a written interview with several media outlets, including AFP.

“We must not waste time letting tense relations between Korea and Japan go unattended. I believe we must break the vicious circle of mutual hostility and work together to serve the common interests of our two countries,” he added.

North Korea prepares for ‘invasion’

The United States and South Korea are intensifying their defense cooperation despite the growing threat from the north, which has conducted a series of tests with banned weapons in recent months.

On Tuesday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles in the first launch since exercises began, the largest in five years, according to the South Korean military.

The maneuvers called Escudo de Libertad started on Monday and should last 10 days.

Earlier, the South Korean military revealed it conducted a military exercise with the United States, including simulated precision strikes against key North Korean facilities, ahead of Freedom Shield.

North Korea says these steps are a dress rehearsal for an invasion and has warned it will take “overwhelming” measures in response.