After threatening of 'shocking' consequences over alleged US reconnaissance activity near its territory, North Korea on Wednesday launched an inter-continental ballistic missile towards its eastern waters. The missile was detected by Japan's Defense Ministry.
Earlier this week, the North Korean government had released several statements claiming that the US flew a military plane close to the country with the intention of spying. The claims have been dismissed by the United States and South Korea, who urged the North to refrain from acting or making statements that create animosities, AP reported.
The US also said that its military patrols are within the parameters of international law, as reported by BBC. The US and South Korea have ramped up military drills in wake of North Korea testing new weapons that can seemingly enter US territory.
While warning of US spy plane over North Korean territory, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said, "A shocking incident would occur in the long run in the 20-40 kilometer section in which the US spy planes habitually intrude into the sky above the economic water zone."
"We strongly condemn North Korea's launch of a long-range ballistic missile as a grave provocative act that harms the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the international community and is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions," asserted South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.
Kim Jong Un, in response to increasing US military exercises with South Korea, fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast in June, adding to a recent flurry in weapons tests. In February, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile from its capital into the sea off Japan which landed within Japan's territory.
North Korea already is coming off a record year in weapons testing, launching more than 70 missiles in 2022, when it also set into law an escalator nuclear doctrine that authorizes pre-emptive nuclear strikes in a broad range of scenarios where it may perceive its leadership as under threat.
(with AP inputs)
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