A TV screen showing a news program reporting about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile launch with file footage is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, on Oct 4, 2022. (LEE JIN-MAN / AP)
SEOUL/TOKYO – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting a warning for residents to take cover and a temporary suspension of train operations in northern Japan.
The Japanese government warned citizens to take cover as the missile appeared to have flown over and past its territory before falling into the Pacific Ocean.
It was the first DPRK missile to follow such a trajectory since 2017, and Tokyo said its 4,600 km range may have been the longest distance travelled for a DPRK test flight, which are more often "lofted" higher into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries.
The latest launch was Pyongyang's fifth in 10 days, amid military muscle-flexing by the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. Last week, the three countries conducted trilateral anti-submarine exercises that included a US aircraft carrier, which stopped in the ROK for the first time since 2017.
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Tokyo said it took no steps to shoot the missile down. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan wouldn't rule out any options, including counterattack capabilities.
Last week, the US, the ROK and Japan conducted trilateral anti-submarine exercises that included a US aircraft carrier, which stopped in the ROK for the first time since 2017
The ROK also said it would boost its military and increase allied cooperation.
The US said it strongly condemned the DPRK's "dangerous and reckless" decision to launch a long-range ballistic missile over Japan.
"This action is destabilizing and shows the DPRK’s blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
'Real-world' test
Officials in Tokyo and Seoul said the missile flew between 4,500 to 4,600 km to a maximum altitude of about 1,000 km.
ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it appeared to have been an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launched from the DPRK’s Jagang province. The DPRK has used the province to launch several recent tests, including multiple missiles that it claimed were "hypersonic."
The test prompted East Japan Railway Co to suspend train operations in the northern regions, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
The initial flight details suggest the missile may have been the Hwasong-12 IRBM, said Kim Dong-yup, a former ROK Navy officer who now teaches at Kyungnam University.
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The Hwasong-12 was used in 2017 tests that overflew Japan, and Kim noted it was also test fired from Jagang province in January.
A flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea flutters in the wind as an army soldier of the Republic of Korea stands guard at the border villages of Panmunjom in Paju, the Republic of ROK, on Oct 4, 2022. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)
ROk President Yoon Suk-yeol called the test "reckless" and said it would bring a decisive response from his country's military, its allies and the international community.
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He has pushed for more military muscle to deter DPRK, and the ROK staged its own show of advanced weaponry on Saturday to mark its Armed Forces Day, including multiple rocket launchers, ballistic missiles, main battle tanks, drones and F-35 fighters.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government would continue to gather and analyze information.