Fresh tension in Korea Peninsula as South Korea, Japan raise alarm North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea

Tension appears to be regenerating in the Korean Peninsula after South Korea and Japan raised alarm that North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the sea. This was said to be the first missile test by Pyongyang in 2022.

The military in South Korea on Wednesday alerted the world that North Korea fired what is “presumed to be a ballistic missile” towards the sea east of the peninsula at about 8.10am (2310 GMT Tuesday) from Jagang province, in the borders of China.

The President’s Office in a statement indicated that the South Korea National Security Council after an emergency meeting “expressed concerns over the launch”.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, protested that it is a “possible ballistic missile launch”.

Kishida stated that “It is truly regrettable that North Korea has continuously launched missiles since last year.”

The Prime Minister stated that the Japanese government is analyzing details of the missile test, including the number of missiles North Korea had fired into the sea.

According to a top Japanese government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, “There have been no reports of damage to Japanese aircraft and vessels so far.

“We are continuing the analysis, but if it took a normal orbit, it is expected to have traveled about 500 kilometres and fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.”

North Korea leader, Kim Jong Un, had last week declared that the country would continue to build up its military capabilities.

According to Jean Lee, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center, “I expect North Korea to continue refining its arsenal as a way to improve its strategic position at a time of political change in the region.”

North Korea in 2021, declared the successful testing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile, a long-range cruise missile, a train-launched weapon, identified as a hypersonic warhead.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has called for dialogue with North Korea.