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A30 world news
Diahuebs 17 Maart 2022

Seoul: North Korean missile exploded in air in failed launch

Details of the missile explo- they would likely cause a ma- Japanese Chief Cabinet Sec-
sion and the possibility of jor health impact. There was retary Hirokazu Matsuno
civilian damage weren’t im- no immediate outside report told reporters that a flight of a
mediately known. But the of such damage in North Ko- ballistic missile has not been
launch, the 10th of its kind rea. confirmed and that Tokyo is
this year, shows North Korea working with Washington
is determined to press ahead The Sunan area is where and Seoul to further analyze
on its push to modernize its North Korea’s international what happened.
arsenal and pressure rivals airport is located. South Ko-
into making concessions rean media reported that Experts say past failures have
while denuclearization talks Wednesday’s launch oc- moved North Korea closer
are frozen. curred at the airport, but to its goal of acquiring a vi-
Seoul’s Defense Ministry did able nuclear arsenal that
The missile blew up as it not specify the exact site. could threaten the American
was flying at an altitude of homeland. Of eight “Mu-
less than 20 kilometers (12.4 Chang Young-keun, a missile sudan” intermediate-range
miles), a South Korean mili- expert at Korea Aerospace missiles tests in 2016, only
tary official said requesting University in South Korea, one of those launches was
anonymity because he wasn’t said the missile explosion seen by outside analysts as
publicly authorized to speak likely sent debris as far as successful, which led to de-
to media on the issue. He 100-200 kilometers (62-124 bates of whether North Ko-
said the cause of the explo- miles) away, rather than caus- rea’s path toward ICBMs had
sion wasn’t known. ing it to fall straight down been cut off.
from the midair blast site,
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of due to its flying speed. The However, the North in 2017
Staff earlier said the launch missile likely flew about 10 flew more powerful interme-
came from the Sunan area kilometers (6.2 miles) before diate-range missiles over Ja-
near Pyongyang, the North’s it exploded, he said. pan and conducted three suc-
capital, around 9:30 a.m. cessful test-flights of ICBMs
(0030 GMT) but gave no The U.S. Indo-Pacific Com- that demonstrated a potential
other details. mand said that North Korea range to strike deep into the
had fired a ballistic missile U.S. mainland.
Lee Choon Geun, an honor- but didn’t say whether it was
ary research fellow at South a failed launch. A command North Korea’s successful sat-
Korea’s Science and Technol- statement said the launch ellite launches in 2012 and
(AP) — A North Korean speculation that the North ogy Policy Institute, said the didn’t pose an immediate 2016 — which were viewed
missile fired from its capital is preparing to launch its missile likely exploded less threat to U.S. territory and by the U.N. as disguised
region exploded soon after longest-range weapon in the than a minute after its launch. its allies but called on North tests of its long-range missile
liftoff in an apparent failed most significant provocation He said if the missile’s toxic Korea to refrain from further technology — also followed
launch on Wednesday, South in years. fuels fell on civilian residen- destabilizing acts. repeated failures.
Korea’s military said, amid tial areas in North Korea,