Japan says North Korea missile test ‘outrageous’

South Korea’s military says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016 into the sea.

The launches will further escalate regional tensions that remain high after a series of missile launches and the decision by the United States to place a sophisticated anti-missile system in South Korea.

North Korea seems to be living up to its promise of a physical response against recent United Nations sanctions, as the Communist country launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday. One missile fizzled quickly and plunked down into the sea, while the other continued on for 620 miles, South Korean and Japanese officials said, making it one of the North’s furthest reaching missile tests yet.

North Korea is pushing to manufacture a warhead small enough to be placed on a long-range missile that can reach the continental USA, but South Korean defense officials say the North doesn’t yet have such a miniaturized warhead.

This is the first case of a North Korean projectile falling into Japanese waters since 1998 and has raised concerns in the country over the safety of its aeronautics and maritime activities.

“This missile landed incredibly close to Japan”, she told reporters.

“It imposes a serious threat to Japan’s security and it is an unforgivable act of violence toward Japan’s security”, said Shinzo Abe, the prime minister.

The US condemned what it called a clear violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology. “This provocation only serves to increase the worldwide community’s resolve to counter [North Korea’s] prohibited activities, including through implementing existing U.N. Security Council sanctions”, said Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman and naval commander. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.

The other exploded above the ground immediately after launch.

Ten Security Council members along with Australia and South Korea asked the United Nations sanctions committee to “review carefully the known details” about the July 18 launch of three Scud ballistic missiles and a No Dong intermediate-range missile.

South Korean officials fear the North is now preparing to conduct a fifth test of a nuclear weapon.

“They’ve chose to site it in Sejong City, which is more than 200km away from Seoul and the envelop of coverage from THAAD is approximately 200km, but in any case Seoul is very close to the DMZ [Korean Demilitarised Zone], so close that it’s still within conventional artillery and conventional rocket range from North Korea”.

There is growing concern that Beijing’s opposition to THAAD could lead to increasing support for North Korea and decreasing economic ties with South Korea.

South Korea has refuted North’s criticism of plans to place an advanced USA missile defense system on Korean soil in 2017, a spokesman for the Ministry of Unification told a briefing on Thursday.

The launch comes after South Korea and the United States announced the deployment of a USA -made missile defense system known as THAAD.

The Korea Times reported that Pyongyang strongly criticized the decision, and threatened “merciless” missile strikes against both South Korea and the United States.

Kim Jong Un has vowed to continue developing nuclear weapons.

It is probably a Rodong middle-range missile.

The test is the fourth such missile launch in recent weeks, although North Korea faces strong worldwide restrictions linked to the activity.