DPRK Fired Ballistic Missile That Flew 430 Miles: South Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired an unidentified ballistic missile Sunday from its west coast region that flew 430 miles, South Korea's military said, days after new leader Moon Jae-In took office in the South pledging to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang.

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The test launch comes amid a U.S. military buildup in the region and continued bellicose rhetoric from Washington, which has threatened preemptive strikes against DRPK targets.

"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5:27 a.m. today from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan Province," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to Yonhap news agency.

The DPRK previously used the site in February to test-launch a Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile it is believed to be developing.

"Our military is maintaining a full defense posture, closely monitoring the North Korean military's move," the South's military statement continued.

Japan said the missile flew for 30 minutes and dropped in the sea. The country swiftly issued a protest as Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the DPRK's firing of a ballistic missile was a violation of U.N. resolutions. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated the protest in comments to reporters.

"North Korea's repeated missile launches are a grave threat to our country and a clear violation of U.N. resolutions," Abe told reporters, adding Japan will stay in close touch with the United States and South Korea. Japan typically reacts to DPRK weapons tests in a hyperbolic manner, depicting the weapons tests as a grave threat to the wealthy country.

The launch is the first since former human rights lawyer Moon took office in South Korea on Wednesday saying dialogue as well as pressure must be used to ease the ongoing crisis on the Korean peninsula. Moon is an advocate of inter-Korean engagement and feels that Seoul should learn to “say no to America” and become self-reliant in the field of defense capabilities, according to a book released in January.

President Moon Jae-in called an emergency National Security Council meeting in response to the launch, the presidential Blue House said.

On Friday, the U.S. Congress passed a new law tightening sanctions on Pyongyang in a move that drew a sharp response from the DPRK, which responded with an open letter of protest to the House of Representatives.

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"The passage of the above legislation amounts to the most heinous act against humanity, not only infringing upon the sacred sovereignty of the DPRK but also arbitrarily violating universal principles of sovereignty, equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," the letter said.

"As the U.S. House of Representatives enacts more and more of these reckless hostile laws, the DPRK's efforts to strengthen nuclear deterrents will gather greater pace, beyond anyone's imagination," it added.

The DPRK attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four consecutive times in the past two months. The last tested missile, which was launched at the end of last month, landed on the country's own territory, according to the Japanese government and the Pentagon.

Weapons experts and government officials, however, believe the DPRK has accomplished some technical progress with those tests.