North Korea fires long-range missile ahead of Yoon’s trip to Japan
Seoul
CNN
—
North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile early Thursday, according to officials in Japan and South Korea, the same day leaders from those two countries are due to meet in Japan for the first such summit in 12 years.
At least one unidentified ballistic missile was fired into the waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula early Thursday morning local time, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also confirmed a launch, estimating that the missile would fall outside its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), approximately 550 kilometers (341 miles) east of the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean military was maintaining a full readiness posture while closely cooperating with the US, the JCS said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is due to arrive in Japan Thursday for a summit his office has hailed as “an important milestone” in the development of bilateral relations.
