The North Korean ruler is said to have personally conducted the missile test.
(Photo: AP)
Tokyo North Korea’s head of state Kim Jong Un has confirmed testing of a new type of ICBM. “The creation of the DPRK’s new strategic weapon will once again show the world the might of our strategic armed forces,” Kim said, according to the state news agency KCNA. This strengthens the deterrent against US imperialism. According to the report, Kim personally conducted the test. The rocket launch had been sharply condemned by the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Japan sees a new dimension of serious threat in the recent test of a suspected long-range missile. “It is a serious threat with a different dimension than before,” Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said on Friday. The test poses a serious threat to the peace and stability of Japan and the international community, Kishi said.
In the wake of the missile test, the US government imposed sanctions on two Russian companies that supplied goods for the North Korean missile program. The US State Department announced on Thursday. Accordingly, the sanctions are directed against the Russian companies Ardis Group of Companies LLC (Ardis Group) and PFK Profpodshipnik LLC. Sanctions were also imposed on North Korea’s “Foreign Affairs Office of the Second Academy of Natural Sciences”. A Russian citizen, Igor Alexandrovich Michurin, and a North Korean citizen, Ri Sung Chol, were also sanctioned.
According to the South Korean military, the North Korean missile had climbed to an altitude of up to 6,200 kilometers before it crashed into the Sea of Japan (Korean: East Sea) 1,080 kilometers from the starting point. The Japanese defense minister was quoted as saying that such a suspected missile could thus reach the entire territory of the USA, including the east coast. The United States, with its nuclear arsenal, is Japan’s protecting power. Thousands of US soldiers are also stationed in the Asian island nation.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
More: Opposition candidate Yoon wins election in South Korea.