North Korea launched at least one missile toward the Sea of Japan for a second consecutive day on Wednesday.
The missile was fired from the country’s east coast at 2:34 p.m. and traveled about 434 miles before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in China by email with a request for comment.
It was the latest in a spate of launches. On Tuesday, North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” from the vicinity of the capital, Pyongyang, though South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it failed shortly after launch. North Korean forces also fired multiple ballistic missiles on March 14 as U.S. and South Korean forces carried out major annual military exercises.
The activity comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as North Korea advances its United Nations-sanctioned missile and nuclear weapons programs.
“We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement, adding that the launches posed no immediate threat to U.S. or allied personnel or territory. “The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region.”
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, in a departure from his hard-line predecessor, has sought to dial down tensions. On Monday, he said he regretted that government drone flights had crossed into North Korean territory between September and January. He added that three individuals had been indicted by prosecutors last week and pledged steps to prevent a recurrence.
“Our government appreciated it as a very fortunate and wise behavior for its own sake,” responded Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , in a statement. She added that her brother said it showed a “frank and broad-minded man’s attitude.”
She told Seoul not to attempt to contact Pyongyang and warned South Korea would pay a heavy price if there were to be a similar incident.
President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un on three occasions during his first term in a failed bid to persuade him to roll back his nuclear weapons program.
Trump has expressed openness to reengaging with Kim, touting what he has characterized as a “great relationship.”
North Korea and the U.S. can “get along” provided Washington understands Pyongyang’s nuclear program—enshrined in the North Korean constitution—is not up for negotiation, Kim said in February during a party congress in Pyongyang.
