North Korea fires second ballistic missile in less than week

North Korea conducted its second ballistic missile launch in less than a week on August 12, according to South Korea and Japan, in what appeared to be a protest against upcoming South Korea-U.S. military exercises that Pyongyang views as preparations for an invasion.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s eastern coast at around 6 a.m. and flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles), The Associated Press reports.

Japan’s Defence Ministry also detected the launch and said the missile landed in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

The latest launch comes just days after North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test. Pyongyang has continued developing and testing weapons while refusing to return to talks with the United States and South Korea.

Experts say North Korea frequently uses allied military exercises as a justification for intensifying its weapons testing.

South Korea’s military said it remains prepared to respond to any provocation by Pyongyang in coordination with the United States. South Korea’s National Security Council described North Korea’s ballistic missile launches as “acts of provocation” and called on Pyongyang to stop them immediately.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo had strongly protested the launch through diplomatic channels in Beijing.

“It’s a serious problem that affects the safety of the Japanese people,” he said.

By Sabina Mammadli