A North Korean projectile, likely a ballistic missile, fired Wednesday exploded mid-air at an altitude below 20km, the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) military claimed. ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the projectile is claimed to have been shot from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 9:30 a.m. This launch is the 10th of its kind this year. Military authorities are investigating whether the latest projectile is similar to the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that the North tested on Feb. 27 and Mar. 5.
Last week, ROK and the U.S. criticized the past two launches as the new ICBM system tests ahead of a full-range launch. They dismissed the North’s claim that they were meant to develop a “reconnaissance satellite.”
“At this point, our assessment is that the projectile launch appears to have been botched as it failed to reach a certain altitude in its early boost phase,” a JCS official was quoted as saying by Yonhap. “The United States will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the U.S. homeland and our allies,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a press release. “The U.S. commitment to the defence of the ROK and Japan remains ironclad.”
