North Korea fires second missile over Japan
Despite threats of sanctions and tough action, North Korea remains defiant. On September 15, 2017, North Korea fired another missile over Japan. The intermediate-range ballistic missile flew over Japan, which is a close ally of the United States, and then fell in the Pacific Ocean leading to authorities issuing warning to residents to take shelter.
The latest ballistic missile is much more powerful than the previous one that North Korea hurled directly over Japan during the end of August. The second missile was launched from the district of Sunan, which is located in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Before the missile fell into the Pacific Ocean, it traveled around 2,300 miles and reached an altitude of 480 miles.
International response:
The missile set of alarm bells ringing in Japan. The government set off sirens and advised people to not approach any object that resembled missile debris.South Korea, another close ally of the US, gave a befitting response to North Korea’s actions by carrying out a live fire drill that also comprised a missile launch. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff commented that the missile launch by South Korea in response to that of the North’s had the ability to strike Sunan airport, the site from where Pyongyang fired its latest missile.
The missile test was also condemned by the United States with Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, commenting that this is the second time that the people of Japan have been threatened by North Korea in the last few weeks. The Japanese Prime Minister also commented that his country has taken all possible measures to counter the threat and a war like situation.
First North Korea missile fired over Japan
On August 29, 2017, North Korea fired its first missile over Japan. The missile which was named Hwasong-12, passed over Hokkaido, which is Japan’s second largest island. The missile covered a distance of 1,700 miles and attained a height of 340 miles. The missile landed in the Pacific Ocean. Following the missile launch, the United States had promised that it would increase pressure on North Korea.
North Korea tests Hydrogen Bomb
Though North Korea has been conducting missile tests from time to time, in the first week of September it stunned the world by claiming that the nation had tested a hydrogen bomb. The North Korean authorities further stated that the hydrogen bomb could be successfully loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. What made the North Korean claim worrisome was the fact that a hydrogen bomb is much more lethal than an atomic bomb. It is around 1,000 times more deadly than the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki towards the end of World War 2. North Korea’s claims were condemned by the international community.