N. Korea Fires Short-Range Ballistic Missile

Seoul/Tokyo, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)--North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, the South Korean military said.

The missile was launched from around Wonsan in the eastern North Korean province of Kangwon around 10:48 a.m. (1:48 a.m. GMT), according to the military. It was the first ballistic missile launch by North Korea since Nov. 9.

According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the missile was not confirmed to have flown into Japan's territory or its exclusive economic zone.

The South Korean military analyzed that the missile reached a maximum altitude of about 47 kilometers and traveled about 240 kilometers at speeds of up to Mach 4. The Japanese government lodged a protest over the missile firing, saying it violated related U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea, while the South Korean and U.S. militaries conducted a joint missile defense drill Thursday.

In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency right before the missile launch, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui criticized a recent summit among the United States, Japan and South Korea, and the three countries' moves to beef up their security cooperation.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]