North Korea fired another missile in defiance of international opposition on its earlier hypersonic missile test six days earlier.
The launching of a suspected ballistic missile is reportedly part of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's military arms upgrade program that includes missile arsenals and nuclear weapons amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
North Korea didn't immediately comment on Tuesday's test. But According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile fired by North Korea is possible a single ballistic missile that flew from Jagang province in the north. It rocketed 700 kilometers (434 miles) at an estimated maximum speed of Mach 10 before crashing in the waters off its eastern coast, as per CBS news.
South Korean authorities did not mention the missile type based on its assessment. However, North Korean state media described the event as a successful hypersonic missile test, a high-tech type similar to its military launched on January 5.
Read Also: North Korea Claims Second Successful Hypersonic Missile Test; Nuclear Modernization Looms
Pyongyang Response To South Korea's Downplay On Its Weapons
Some experts say that Pyongyang could have conducted another hypersonic missile test in response to the South Korean military's downplay on its previous missile launch.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned North Korea's continued launching of missiles soon after the United Nations Security Council discussed its response to its earlier missile testing.
The Defense Ministry of Japan reported that the suspected ballistic missile landed outside the country's exclusive economic zone. Authorities also inspected if the missile had caused any damage on ships and aircraft within Japan, but initial reports say there was no damage or disruptions so far.
US Stresses 'Ironclad' Commitment
The UN Security Council discussed Pyongyang's missile launch in closed-door last week, but it did not take any steps. Before consultations, the US and its allies condemned the missile testing and urged North Korea to stop its nuclear and missile development programs, per NBC report.
On Tuesday, the United States Indo-Pacific Command issued a brief statement on North Korea's previous missile launching, emphasizing its "ironclad" commitment to the defense of its allies, South Korea and Japan, according to CNBC.
In 2021, Kim revealed his desire to possess high-tech military weapons for his country that include hypersonic missiles. His weapons wish list includes multi-spy satellites, solid-fueled long-range missiles, multi-warhead missiles, and underwater-launched nuclear missiles.
Since 2019, he has significantly increased North Korea's weapons testing involving different missile launching methods from a train and a submarine.
Kim recently marked the 10th year of his regime in North Korea. He promised to allocate more of the country's budget to military development as he cited the increasing instability on the Korean peninsula.
Pyongyang has already started spending almost a quarter of its gross domestic product on weapons, which is greater than any other country, amid the health and economic impacts of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.
The UN Security Council issued a resolution prohibiting North Korea from conducting all ballistic missile and nuclear testings, with sanctions imposed over its weapons programs.
But North Korean ally China and Russia are campaigning for the easing of sanctions imposed by the UN by lifting a ban on Pyongyang's seafood, textiles, and statutes exports and removing its cap on petroleum imports.
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