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North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile

12 February 2017 03:16 (UTC +04:00)

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile, APA reports quoting the Yonhap News Agency.

The missile was fired in the direction of the Sea of Japan at around 7:55 am February 12, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was fired from Banghyeon in North Pyongan Province; the flight path has not yet been determined, says South Korean military source,.

The Pentagon has confirmed that it detected the launch.

"The flight distance was about 500 kilometers, and South Korea and the United States are conducting a close-up analysis on additional information," South Korea's Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

South Korea's military was working on confirming whether the missile was the intermediate-range Musudan, which the country last tested late last year. The Musudan missile's range is estimated at about 3,000 kilometers. Based on the missile's launch site, North Korea experts speculate that it is the Musudan and not a longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).