North Korea Fires Suspected Ballistic Missile into the Sea
Missile launch follows previous missile tests and escalates tensions in the region
Missile traveled about 2,800 miles, the longest distance ever traveled by a North Korean weapon
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said Thursday. The launch follows a series of missile tests by North Korea in recent weeks and further escalates tensions in the region.
The missile was fired from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, at around 2:50 a.m. local time, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. It flew about 2,800 miles and reached an altitude of about 560 miles, the military said.
This is the longest distance ever traveled by a North Korean weapon, surpassing the previous record of 2,790 miles set by a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile in 2017.
The launch comes just days after North Korea threatened to take "stronger and more explicit military counteraction" against the United States and South Korea for their joint military exercises, which Pyongyang sees as a provocation.
The United States and South Korea have condemned the missile launch and called on North Korea to stop its provocations and engage in dialogue.
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