North Korea launches second missile in a week: "Fast pace can not be ignored"

Neighboring countries said they noticed a launch, made towards the sea east of North Korea, reaching an altitude of 550 km and a distance of 300 km.

This launch was made just days before the South Korean presidential election, a date when it is feared that Pyongyang will choose to conduct another test of a new type of missile

Reuters

05/03/2022

Saturday, 05 March 2022, 02:34 Updated: 05:11

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In the video: The North Korean missile took pictures from space (Photo: Reuters)

North Korea launched at least one missile toward the sea east of the country tonight (Saturday), senior military officials in the area said.

It is a missile suspected of being a ballistic missile, which was launched a few days before the presidential election in the neighboring country, South Korea, and a few days since Pyongyang launched another missile in the same area.

"The current launch comes at a time when the international community is dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and while the Paralympic Games are taking place in Beijing, which is unacceptable," Japan's Defense Minister Novo Kishi said.

"The rapid pace at which North Korea is developing its missile launch technology is not something that our country and the other countries in the region can ignore."

Kishi said the missile reached an altitude of 550 kilometers and flew a distance of 300 kilometers.

The country's presidential house said the National Security Council would convene an emergency meeting following the launch.

More on Walla!

In the shadow of threats to the United States: North Korea has launched two short-range missiles into the sea

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The pace of launches cannot be ignored.

People watch the news in South Korea, today (Photo: AP)

The launch tonight highlights the challenges facing the winner of the South Korean presidential election, which will be held on Wednesday.

Experts estimate that North Korea will take advantage of its neighbor's election day to conduct another new missile test.

This launch is the ninth in number since the beginning of the year, with the last one being carried out on Sunday this week, when North Korea claimed it was done as part of an experiment for its spy satellite.

The South Korean military said the source of the current launch was in the Sunan area, where Pyongyang International Airport is located, from which similar launches have been made in the past, including the launch carried out on Sunday.

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