Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following North Korea’s February 18-20 launch of ballistic missiles.
“After the launch (by North Korea) of an intercontinental missile the day before yesterday, and now (today) the launch of ballistic missiles, we have requested an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council,” Kishida told reporters.
On Monday, North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile, its second in less than 48 hours.
The official Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean military as saying that “North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile on Monday towards the East Sea,” also referred to as the Sea of Japan.
And the Japan Coast Guard announced that “North Korea launched 3 ballistic missiles and two of them have already landed.”
The Coast Guard said: “At 7:08 a.m., North Korea launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile and it actually landed. Air and naval ships are required to follow the information. In case of hit by fragments, it is forbidden to approach them. The Maritime Security Agency must be informed.”
Later, the Japanese Coast Guard announced the second and third launches of missiles from North Korea, and, according to the press service, all of them have already fallen.
The Japan Broadcasting Corporation also cited a defense ministry statement that “all North Korean missiles appear to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.”
On Sunday, North Korea confirmed that it had fired an ICBM on Saturday, warning Washington and Seoul, stressing that the success of this “surprise” test testifies to its “capacity to launch a deadly nuclear counterattack.”
Source: Sputnik