North Korea launched a ballistic missile early Wednesday morning that reportedly headed toward the South Korean island of Ulleungdo before finally falling into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said.
The missile launched by Pyongyang has activated the air raid alert system throughout the South Korean island, which has led to the evacuation of thousands of residents to basements, Yonhap news agency reported.
«A missile fell offshore in the Sea of Japan (also known as the East Sea) before reaching Ulleungdo while traveling in the direction of the island,» said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This is the first time North Korea has launched a ballistic missile southward so far this year, all amid escalating tensions in the region following North Korea’s continued missile launches into the Sea of Japan, including one that flew over Japanese territory.
Although the South Korean Armed Forces have not yet determined the specifics of the launch such as range, altitude and speed of the missiles, it has pointed out that they have been fired while conducting large-scale joint air exercises with the United States.
Washington, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have shared their evidence that North Korea is «likely» to conduct a nuclear missile test, its first since 2017.
