South Korea's military says North Korea fired ballistic missile toward its eastern waters
The HinduNorth Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the sea Monday in a resumption of its high-profile weapons testing activities, its neighbours said, as the North vows strong responses against U.S. and South Korean moves to boost their nuclear deterrence plans. South Korea's military said in a statement that the North Korean missile flew about 1,000 kilometers before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The U.S. military said the launch highlighted “the destabilizing impact of illicit weapons program.” Observers said the North's back-to-back launches were likely a protest against the moves by South Korea and the United States to bolster their joint nuclear deterrence capabilities in the face of North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats. U.S. officials said the group’s establishment and other steps to solidify U.S. security commitment were meant to ease South Korean worries about North Korean provocations while keeping Seoul from pursuing its own nuclear program.