The Japanese Coast Guard announced, in the last half-hour, that North Korea has launched a ballistic missile. The Japanese Coast Guard reports that the object has already fallen into the ocean. This launch comes two days after North Korea tested a ballistic missile that also fell into the ocean off the coast of Japan. The US and South Korea carried out combined air drills in response to the missile launch from two days ago. The missile launched two days ago traveled about 900 kilometers (560 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 5,700 kilometers (3,500 miles) before falling into the ocean an hour after launch. Due to the flight data, it’s believed that the missile from two days ago was a ‘Hwasong-17.’ The Hwasong-17 is believed to be able to strike the mainland United States if fired on a normal trajectory. It’s not yet known what missile was launched today. Updates to come.
Update: According to the Japan Times, two more missiles have been launched. The total for the day is up to three.
