The Defense Department detected and tracked a single North Korea missile launch today at about 1:17 p.m. EST, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning said in a statement today.
The initial assessment indicates that this missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile, he said. This is North Korea’s third ICBM test this year, following two in July, and the first missile launch of any kind since Sept. 15, when they tested an intermediate range missile.
The ICBM was launched from Sain Ni, North Korea, north of Pyongyang, and traveled east about 1,000 kilometers — about 620 miles — before splashing down in the Sea of Japan, within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, an area that extends 200 nautical miles from its coast. “We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment of the launch,” Manning said.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America or U.S. territories and allies, the colonel said.
South Korea’s news agency reported that its army staged its own “precision strike” missile exercise in response.
The United States’ commitment to the defense of its allies, including South Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad, Manning said. “We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation,” he said.
