(Update) North Korea Fires ICBM-Class Missile into Sea of Japan

   Tokyo/Seoul, March 16 (Jiji Press)--North Korea fired a missile of intercontinental ballistic missile-class into the Sea of Japan from near Pyongyang on Thursday morning, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
   The missile, launched around 7:09 a.m. (10:09 p.m. Wednesday GMT), traveled for some 70 minutes before falling into waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone around 8:19 a.m., at a point some 200 kilometers west of the island of Oshimaoshima in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, according to the ministry.
   It was the sixth time this year for North Korea to launch a missile. The ministry said there have been no reports of damage from the missile to ships and aircraft.
   The South Korean military also said that North Korea launched an ICBM from around Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang on Thursday morning.
   As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to visit Japan later the same day to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, North Korea may have fired the missile as a warning against any moves by Japan and South Korea to enhance bilateral ties, as well as their security cooperation, pundits have said.

(2023/03/16-10:57)

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