The year 2022 seems to have brought a flurry of missile tests in North Korea. In its 7th test this year, the country’s regime fired at least one suspected ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday. It could be its longest-range missile test since 2017, as per a Reuters report.
The move seems to be an apparent attempt to put pressure on the Biden administration over long-stalled nuclear negotiations.
This comes as the tensions are rife in Ukraine and there is a possibility of an outbreak of war any moment.
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A suspected ballistic missile launch, which soared deep into space, has been reported by the governments in Japan and South Korea.
A projectile, which is believed to be a single ballistic missile, was launched at about 7:52 am (2252 GMT) from North Korea’s Jagang Province towards the ocean off its east coast, reported South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The test involved an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which North Korea has not tested since 2017, said South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC), which convened a rare emergency meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in due to the launch.
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With the launch, North Korea is taking a step closer to fully scrapping a self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons or its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Moon said.
The missile is estimated to have reached an altitude of 2,000km and flown for 30 minutes to a distance of 800km, said South Korea’s JCS and Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno separately.
(With inputs from agencies)
