North Korea fired off at least one ballistic missile on Thursday in a show of force a day after saying it would pursue unspecified ¡°additional military options¡± in response to Japan¡¯s growing defense capabilities.
The Defense Ministry in Tokyo said the missile, which came after Japan marked 81 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima earlier in the day, did not land inside Japan¡¯s exclusive economic zone, an area that extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its shores.
South Korea¡¯s military also confirmed the launch of what it said was a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea¡¯s Wonsan area.
The launch was the North¡¯s first since leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the tests of a tactical ballistic missile as well as new multiple rocket launchers and other weapons on June 25.
Kim¡¯s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, said Wednesday that Pyongyang would not remain a ¡°passive onlooker¡± to what she described as Japan¡¯s accelerating transformation into a military power, state-run media reported.
¡°War criminal state Japan¡¯s possession of the capability for preemptive attack is a grave threat destroying global peace and security,¡± she said, referring to Tokyo¡¯s efforts to acquire long-range strike capabilities.
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