North Korea Launches Second Missile Test in Three Days, Japan Calls for Emergency UN Security Council Meeting

Monday morning, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward Japan, the second weapons test in three days. The missiles were launched from a town on North Korea’s west coast just north of the capital, Pyongyang, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japan reported that both missiles landed in waters outside its exclusive economic zone and that no damage involving aircraft or vessels in the area was reported. The firings follow an intercontinental ballistic missile launch Saturday and North Korea’s threats to take an unprecedentedly strong response to U.S.-South Korean military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

The missiles flew between 210 and 250 miles at a maximum altitude of 30 to 60 miles before landing in waters off the west coast of Japan. In response to the missile launch, Japan has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

The international community has expressed concern over North Korea’s recent missile tests and the potential for further escalation of tensions in the region. The U.S. and South Korea have urged North Korea to refrain from further provocations and to return to negotiations. The U.N. Security Council has also called for an end to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests.