North Korea has test fired a missile toward the Sea of Japan – the first since Donald Trump became US president. The launch came as the Japanese premier was on an official visit to the US.
The projectile was launched at 7:55am local time Sunday (2255 UTC on February 11) from Banghyon air base in the western North Pyongan Province – just days before the North is to mark the birthday of leader Kim Jong Un’s late father, Kim Jong Il.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry in Seoul said that the object flew east towards the Sea of Japan. The missile is believed to have dropped into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile did not reach Japanese territorial seas.
South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the South Korean and the US militaries were conducting a close-up analysis of the object, which reportedly managed to travel a distance of about 500 kilometers (300 miles).