Ballistic missile launched by North Korea on New Year’s Eve flew 400 kilometers

MOSCOW, January 1 – RIA Novosti. A ballistic missile launched by the North Korean military on Sunday night flew about 400 kilometers, the agency reported. Yonhap Regarding the South Korean Chiefs of Staff.

The missile launch was a first for North Korea in 2023.

According to the South Korean command, the missile flew some 400 kilometers before crashing into the Sea of ​​Japan.

Seoul denounced North Korea’s latest missile launch as a “significant provocation” that undermines peace and stability not only on the Korean peninsula but also in the international community.

Earlier on Saturday, the DPRK fired three short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of ​​Japan from Chunghwa County, Hwanghae Province. They flew about 350 kilometers with a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers.

Prior to that, on December 18, the DPRK tested a reconnaissance military satellite systems on two medium-range ballistic missiles. On 23 December, Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles, presumably with a solid-fuel engine, and on 26 December, five North Korean drones entered South Korea. Also, starting from December 26, the 6th plenary meeting of the eighth meeting of the Central Committee of the DPRK Workers’ Party (WPK) will be held in the DPRK.

The missile launches could be Pyongyang’s response to South Korea’s solid-fuel launch vehicle test on December 30, according to the Yonhap news agency.

In total, the DPRK launched about 70 missiles in 2022.