At approximately 1808 EST, South Korean and Japanese officials began reporting that North Korea had launched three projectiles into the Sea of Japan. By 1854 EST , Japanese Prime Minister Kishida confirmed that all three missiles had landed and posed no threat to the Japanese mainland, its EEZ, or civilian and military vessels.
The South Koreans were the first to confirm the launch point and missile telemetry data. The salvo was launched from a single firing unit in Chunghwa County, North Hwanghae Province, beginning at 0801L and ending by 0815L (1801-1818 EST). The three missiles followed similar trajectories for a maximum altitude of 100km and a distance of 350km.
Japan immediately lodged an official complaint with the North Korean government through their embassy in Beijing, while the United States Indo-Pacific Command announced: “We are aware of the ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to our allies, the missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs. The U.S. commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad.”
The last North Korean launch was on December 23rd, 2022, when two short-range ballistic missiles were fired. Today marked the 33rd firing day of 2022 for a total of at least 81 projectiles ranging from cruise missiles to short and medium-range ballistic missiles to intercontinental ballistic missiles.
