North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile”, the South Korean military said Monday, in what could be the fourth weapons test of the month for the nuclear-armed country.
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‘North Korea launched an unidentified projectile towards the East Sea’, also known as the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, shortly before confirmation from the Japanese Coast Guard .
“North Korea appears to have launched a possible ballistic missile,” a spokesman for the Japanese coastguard told AFP without providing further details on its trajectory.
On Friday, North Korea fired two tactical guided missiles from a train. She conducted two tests on January 5 and 11, which she announced as hypersonic missiles.
In response to this series of tests, the United States announced new sanctions last week, which Pyongyang called a “provocation”.
North Korea has “a legitimate right” to self-defense, a Foreign Ministry spokesman told the official KCNA news agency.
Despite international sanctions, Pyongyang has redoubled its efforts to modernize its army, while refusing to respond to calls for negotiation made by the United States.
At a ruling party meeting in North Korea last month, leader Kim Jong Un pledged to continue developing military capabilities.
The dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains at an impasse and North Korea has imposed a blockade on itself to prevent any contamination with the coronavirus, hitting its already poor economy a little harder.