North Korea Launches Another Intercontinental And Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Triggers Warning Alarms In Japan

Illustration of the North Korea Hwasong-17 ICBM missile test. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea again fired intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), suspected two short-range (SRBM) towards the East Sea on Thursday, the South Korean military said.

The South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected what was suspected to be an ICBM launch from the Suan area of ​​Pyongyang at around 7:40 am local time, as well as the firing of two short-range ballistic missiles from Kaechon in South Pyongan Province from around 8:39 am local time, as reported by the Korea Times November 3.

The provocation came a day after North Korea fired about two dozen missiles, including one that flew across the de facto sea border with South Korea for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

One of the missiles launched triggered a warning to residents in central and northern Japan to seek cover.

Residents of northern Japan's Miyagi, Yamagata, and Niigata prefectures were warned Thursday to seek shelter indoors, according to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System, citing Reuters.

The warning said a missile had flown over and over Japan. Japan's Ministry of Defense later said the missile did not fly over Japanese territory.

About 25 minutes after the launch was first reported, the Japan Coast Guard said the missile had crashed. The missile landed in the Pacific Ocean 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) east of Japan, broadcaster FNN reported, citing government sources.

Yonhap news agency reported the first missile passed the separation stage, suggesting it may be a long-range weapon such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

About an hour after the first launch, the South Korean military and Japanese coast guard reported a second launch from North Korea. The Japanese coast guard later reported a possible third launch.

The launch came after Pyongyang demanded the United States and South Korea halt large-scale military exercises, saying "military haste and provocation can no longer be tolerated".