Japan to strengthen monitoring of Pyongyang's military activities
Hong Kong. January 11. INTERFAX - North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, Yonhap reported, citing the South Korean military.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected a launch from the interior of the DPRK at 7:27 a.m. (1:27 a.m. Moscow time).
"For more information, the intelligence agencies of South Korea and the United States are in the process of conducting a detailed analysis," JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.
The South Korean military, in cooperation with the United States, closely monitors the movements of the North Korean military and maintains high combat readiness, the agency adds.
The Japanese government also stated that a ballistic missile was probably launched in the DPRK.
The Japanese government has called an emergency meeting of its response team at the Prime Minister's office to collect and analyze information about the launch by North Korea.
Sources in the Japanese government told local media that the projectile fell into the sea outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan. There were no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.
In turn, the country's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that repeated launches of shells are regrettable, and Japan will "strengthen monitoring" of North Korea's military activities.
He instructed the relevant ministers and officials to make every effort to collect information about the launch, while ensuring the safety of aircraft and ships in and around Japan. He also asked them to be ready to respond to any emergency.
The current test took place just at the moment when the UN Security Council convened a closed meeting dedicated to Pyongyang's launch of a hypersonic missile last Wednesday.
Shortly before the session, the United States and five other countries issued a joint statement calling on the North to refrain from "destabilizing" actions, abandon its ballistic missile programs and engage in a "meaningful" dialogue towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Last Wednesday, Pyongyang launched its first rocket this year just days after a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea declared the importance of increasing defense capability.
