Early Thursday morning, North Korea launched at least one missile from the inland area of North Korea toward the northeast that landed outside of the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the act, saying it needlessly threatens regional peace and stability.
According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, the missile was launched around 6:11 a.m. GMT+8 and flew for more than an hour, achieving the longest flight time to date for a North Korean missile. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff explained it was fired such that it flew almost vertically upwards and that it could have been a “new-type solid-propelled long-range ballistic missile.”
This was North Korea’s first test of their new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) after nearly a year, and seems deliberately timed just ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The launch also came amid warnings from the U.S. regarding reports of North Korean troops that appear to be heading to Ukraine to fight on Russia’s behalf.
The Foreign Ministry indicated that Taiwan will continue to cooperate with like-minded countries in jointly maintaining freedom, stability, and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region.