The missile fired by North Korea covered a distance of about 4,600 kilometers (2,858 miles) with a maximum flight altitude of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.
"North Korea launched one ballistic missile that flew over the territory of our country in the Aomori Prefecture area and fell in the Pacific Ocean outside the country's exclusive economic zone. It is believed to have flown a distance of about 4,600 kilometers, reaching a maximum flight altitude of 1,000 kilometers," Matsuno said at a press conference.
The maximum speed of a ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Tuesday reached Mach 17, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has warned of a strong response to North Korea's ballistic missile launch, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier reports said North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan.
It was the first North Korean missile to fly over or past Japan since 2017, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned what he called a “barbaric” act.
The launch was from Muphyong-ri, Jagang province, according to NHK TV quoting South Korean government. NK launched a Hwasong-12 missile from the same location on January 30 this year. NK media said that launch was to “verify its accuracy.” Here's one of the images from the time pic.twitter.com/GzQgWmXvsI
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) October 3, 2022
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, meanwhile, warned of a resolute response following the launch, according to a statement from the presidential office
Both leaders convened emergency meetings of their respective national security councils.
“(The NSC) made it clear that continued North Korean provocations cannot be tolerated and that there would be a price to be paid,” the statement from Yoon’s office said, adding that Seoul would seek various deterrence measures against North Korea, including strengthening sanctions.
While Tokyo said it had taken no steps to shoot the missile down, Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said it had not ruled out any options, including counterattack capabilities.
“North Korea’s series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, and poses a serious challenge to the entire international community, including Japan,” top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno, told a news conference.
The United States said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had held calls with his counterparts in South Korea and Japan and that it strongly condemned the “dangerous and reckless” decision to send a missile over Japan
Pyongyang has conducted a series of recent launches around military drills held by the United States and South Korea, which it considers a rehearsal for invasion. The US and South Korea, which staged its own show of advanced weaponry on Saturday to mark its Armed Forces Day, say the exercises are defensive in nature.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said that firing a weapon over Japan represented a “significant escalation” of recent provocations.
“Diplomacy isn’t dead, but talks aren’t about to resume either,” Easley said in comments by email. “Pyongyang is still in the middle of a provocation and testing cycle and is likely waiting until after China’s mid-October Communist Party Congress to conduct an even more significant test.” While the most recent tests were of short-range missiles, Pyongyang has conducted a record number of weapons tests this year including what it said was an ICBM, which is banned under UN sanctions
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