North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan and landed in waters off the northern region of Hokkaido early on Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula according to Reuters. The missile test, which experts said was an intermediate-range Hwasong 12 missile, came as U.S. and South Korean forces conduct an annual military drill, against which North Korea strenuously objects.
South Korea’s military said the missile was launched from the Sunan region near Pyongyang at 5:57 a.m. local time and flew 2,700 km (1,680 miles), reaching an altitude of about 550 km (340 miles). Japanese's NHK broadcaster reported the missile broke into three pieces and fell into waters off Hokkaido.
According to North Korea's Mun-hwan, the launch of the mid-range
ballistic missile (IRBM) is intended to show that an attack on Guam is possible at
any time (see map below), Yonhap reported.
