iStock/Thinkstock(SEOUL) — North Korea launched what appears to be a short range SCUD missile that flew about 280 miles into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, according to the South Korean military and U.S. officials. The launch was the ninth missile test conducted by North Korea this year.
“U.S. Pacific Command detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch at 10:40 a.m. Hawaii time May 28,” said a statement from U.S. Pacific Command. “The launch of a short range ballistic missile occurred near Wonsan Airfield.
“The missile was tracked for six minutes until it landed in the Sea of Japan,” said the statement.
“We are working with our Interagency partners on a more detailed assessment. We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely, ” the statement continued.
“It is assumed to be a SCUD missile. The missile flew 450 km (280 miles) and more details are now being analyzed,” the South Korean military said. A U.S. defense official also said the missile appeared to be a short range SCUD missile.
Earlier, the South Korean military said South Korean President Moon had ordered an NSC [National Security Council] meeting to discuss the latest North Korean launch.
The ballistic missile test is the ninth such test conducted this year and marks the third weekend in a row that North Korea has launched a missile.
President Trump was briefed on the latest North Korean launch, a spokesman for the National Security Council said.
Japan’s Defense Ministry reported it was possible that the North Korean missile may have landed in the Sea of Japan inside Japan’s economic exclusion zone, which stretches 200 miles from its shoreline.
On March 5, North Korea fired four SCUD missiles that traveled more than 600 miles into the Sea of Japan, and three of them landed in Japan’s economic exclusion zone.
Short range SCUD missiles are not a concern to U.S. officials, given that they are based on a Soviet-era technology that is decades old.
However, North Korea’s two most recent missile tests have demonstrated significant progress of its missile program. North Korea has openly stated that it is seeking to develop a long-range missile armed with a nuclear warhead capable of striking the continental United States.
On May 14, North Korea fired what the U.S. calls a KN-17 medium range missile that reached an unprecedented altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,245 miles). That launch demonstrated that the missile could probably travel a similar distance horizontally.
On May 21, North Korea successfully launched a KN-15 solid fueled missile that flew more than 300 miles into the Sea of Japan. That missile launch has raised concerns because solid-fueled missiles are more stable than liquid-fueled missiles and can be fired on short notice.
“We always assume that, with a testing program, they get better with each test,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
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