North Korea fires apparent ballistic missile, Japan says

Reuters

9:04 JST, January 5, 2022

TOKYO (Reuters) — North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, authorities in Japan said, while South Korea reported the launch of an unspecified projectile.

The launch would be the first of the new year for nuclear-armed North Korea, and comes days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to continue developing the military to counter an unstable international situation.

Japan’s coast guard, which first reported the launch, said it could be a ballistic missile, but did not provide further details.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off the east coast, without elaborating.