North Korea launches apparent ballistic missile just days after South vows fresh push for peace

SEOUL — North Korea launched what appeared to beryllium a ballistic rocket Wednesday, authorities successful Seoul and Tokyo said, conscionable days aft outgoing South Korean President President Moon Jae-in vowed to marque a last propulsion for bid with the Kim regime.

Pyongyang fired a suspected ballistic rocket disconnected North Korea’s eastbound seashore astatine astir 8:10 a.m. section time, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The associated chiefs said quality agencies successful Seoul and Washington were cooperating connected further investigation of the evident weapons test. The Japanese subject said that the rocket appeared to person fallen into the Sea of Japan, besides known arsenic the East Sea.

“In adjacent practice with the United States, the South Korean subject intimately monitors applicable movements and maintains a readiness posture successful mentation for imaginable caller launches,” said the JCS.

Numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibition North Korea from investigating ballistic missiles, though Pyongyang has repeatedly violated them. North Korea past conducted a weapons trial connected Oct. 19, erstwhile the nuclear-armed state fired a short-range ballistic rocket from a submarine.

“The information that North Korea has continued to motorboat missiles [in caller months] is perfectly regrettable,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Wednesday. “We volition proceed to fortify our surveillance much than ever.”

Earlier this week, Moon promised to usage his remaining months successful bureau to prosecute a diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang. “If an accidental arises, our authorities — until the extremity of my word — volition question the normalization of inter-Korean relations and a way to an irreversible peace,” Moon said successful his New Year’s code connected Monday.

Moon has been pursuing an end-of-war declaration betwixt the United States and the 2 Koreas successful a bid to revive stalled negotiations implicit atomic weapons betwixt North Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has called specified a declaration “premature,” portion Washington has expressed reservations astir the details of immoderate specified resolution.

Meanwhile connected New Year’s Eve, North Korean person Kim Jong Un pledged to bolster the country’s subject successful a speech to the ruling Workers’ Party. Kim renewed his calls for Pyongyang to make much powerful, high-tech weapons successful 2022 but did not connection details.

Julia Mio Inuma successful Tokyo contributed to this report.