North Korea launches ballistic missile into the Sea of ​​Japan.

The United States and Japan said North Korea launched a ballistic missile yesterday, which is believed to have landed in an area off the coast of Japan.

A North Korean missile launch. Photo: CNN.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that North Korea had launched a missile into Japan's exclusive economic zone. He said theTokyo officials are analyzing this activity by North Korea.He convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, according to Reuters.

Prime Minister Abe emphasized that North Korea's missile launch clearly demonstrates that the threat to the country is real and serious.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched by North Korea at 11:41 p.m. local time (9:41 p.m. Hanoi time). South Korean President Moon Jae-in also convened an emergency national security meeting. According to Yonhap, the missile...The missile was launched from Jagang Province, in northern North Korea.

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis confirmed that the U.S. military had detected North Korea launching a ballistic missile, but did not specify whether it was an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The missile is believed to have been launched from Jagang Prefecture into the Sea of ​​Japan. Graphic: CNN.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew for 45 minutes before falling into the Sea of ​​Japan. He said the North Korean missile launch was a clear violation of United Nations resolutions, asserting that Tokyo "cannot tolerate repeated provocations" from Pyongyang. Japanese officials said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the missile launch.

The Japanese coast guard issued a safety warning to aircraft and ships following North Korea's missile launch, according to NHK.

Japanese televisionCiting defense officials, the range of the weapon was reported.The North Korean missile that was just launched could reach a range of over 3,000 km.

This was North Korea's 14th missile test this year, coming weeks after Pyongyang announced the successful test of its Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The launch took place just one day after North Korea celebrated the 64th anniversary of the armistice agreement on the peninsula.

The Pentagon believes North Korea could possess the technology to produce nuclear-tipped ICBMs within a year, significantly sooner than previously predicted three to four years.

According to VNE