AMN

N KOREA LEADERNorth Korea today fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan. South Korean and Japanese governments said, the missile launched from North Korea flew over northern Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean 2,200 kilometers east of Hokkaido today morning.

Japanese officials said the missile was fired at around 6:57 AM local time from Sunan, a district near Pyongyang. The missile likely reached an altitude of 800 kilometers and flew 3,700 kilometers. It flew 800 kilometers further than last month’s launch, said the official.

United States Pacific Command (PACOM) said that initial assessment of the test indicates the launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). In a statement PACOM said it detected and tracked what it assess was a single North Korean ballistic missile launch.

It said, the launch did not pose a threat to the US. The missile launch comes just days after new sanctions were imposed on North Korea by the United Nations because of its weapons testing.

They include a cap on oil exports to the country, a ban on its textile exports, and a freeze on new work permits for its laborers abroad.