North Korea launches missiles as US, South Korea prepare for drills

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SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) North Korea launched a long-range missile off the coast of Japan from its capital on Saturday, a day after threatening tough action against South Korea and the United States, neighbors said. . their joint military exercises.

South Korean and Japanese forces said the missile was launched at a high angle to avoid reaching nearby areas, reaching a maximum altitude of 5,700 kilometers (3,500 miles) and flying about 900 kilometers (560 miles) in an hour. ) ). Flight.

The details are similar to North Korea’s November test flight of her Hwasong-17 ICBM, which experts say could reach the U.S. mainland if launched on a normal trajectory. rice field.

Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said no damage had been reported from a missile that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Oshima, which is the northernmost western coast of mainland Hokkaido. It’s offshore. South Korea’s presidential office Yoon Suk-yeol said Kim Sung-han, director of the National Security Agency, chaired the emergency security council. They accused North Korea of ​​accelerating its nuclear weapons development despite signs of worsening economic problems and food insecurity, and said such actions would only result in tougher international sanctions.