86 minutes of tension: North Korea launched an intercontinental missile towards Japan

86 minutes of tension: North Korea launched an intercontinental missile towards Japan Anastasia Didenko

North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile over the Sea of ​​Japan on October 31. It set new records for altitude and flight duration.

Defense Express reports on this. The last time a ballistic missile was launched in the direction of the Sea of ​​Japan was on September 18.

Japan on high alert

North Korea reportedly launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on the morning of October 31 that flew over the Sea of ​​Japan, setting new records for altitude and flight duration. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the missile reached an altitude of 7,000 kilometers and stayed in the air for 86 minutes before falling harmlessly into the ocean.

The launch took place at about 7:10 a.m. local time from the Pyongyang area, the South Korean military said.

This came hours after the United States and South Korea condemned the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine. Such deployment of military personnel, according to Seoul and Washington, strengthens military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, which could threaten stability in the region.

According to Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, this launch was the first since reports of North Korea providing troops for the war.

While Pyongyang denies involvement in military actions on the Ukrainian front, Seoul and Tokyo have expressed concern about the possible exchange of military technology between the DPRK and Russia, which could potentially help Pyongyang improve ballistic weapons.

By the way, Josep Borrell is going on a diplomatic mission to Japan and South Korea to discuss the situation and hold the first EU Strategic Dialogue with these countries countries.

The European Intelligence Center has confirmed the presence of several thousand DPRK soldiers in Russia, which is a violation of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions.