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North Korean Missile Launch Sparks Emergency Alerts in Japan

by William Gallo

   Seoul, South Korea --

   North Korea fired a ballistic missile Thursday, Japanese and South
   Korean officials said, prompting emergency alerts and evacuation
   warnings on Japan's northernmost main island.

   Residents in Hokkaido were warned to immediately take shelter in their
   basements, and some public transit systems in the area were temporarily
   stopped, according to Japanese media.

   About 20 minutes after the alerts were issued, however, Japanese
   officials retracted the warning, saying the North Korean missile was
   not expected to land in Hokkaido.

   About 50 minutes after it reported the North Korean launch, Japan's
   Coast Guard said the missile had fallen, although the splashdown
   location was not immediately clear.

   Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada was quoted by Reuters as
   saying the missile was fired eastward at a high angle and did not fall
   into Japanese territory.

   According to South Korea's military, the North Korean missile was
   intermediate range or longer and was fired from the Pyongyang area and
   landed in the sea between Korea and Japan.

   North Korea has not offered any details; it does not usually comment on
   its launches until the following morning when its state-run newspapers
   are published.

   On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a key
   political meeting in Pyongyang, where he vowed to expand his country's
   war deterrence in a "practical and offensive manner."

   North Korea has frequently launched missiles and issued verbal threats
   in recent months. It insists some of the moves were a response to
   expanded U.S.-South Korea military drills held last month.

   SEE ALSO: A related video by VOA's Bill Gallo.

   The North has also failed to respond to regular, daily phone calls via
   inter-Korean hotlines for seven consecutive days, South Korean
   officials said Thursday, further raising fears that Pyongyang intends
   to escalate tensions.

   "Pyongyang's provocations continue past its protest of U.S.-South Korea
   defense exercises because Kim Jong-un hasn't finished demonstrating his
   nuclear delivery capabilities yet," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor
   at Ewha University in Seoul.

   "However, with the North Koreans literally not answering the phone, the
   lack of hotlines and diplomacy increases the risk of unintended
   escalation," he added.

   The United States and its allies expect North Korea to continue
   conducting major weapons tests in the coming weeks.

   North Korea has vowed to launch a military spy satellite during the
   month of April and has carried out multiple tests it says are designed
   to accomplish that goal.

   Pyongyang has also recently hinted it could conduct a long-range
   missile launch at a normal rather than lofted trajectory. In the past,
   North Korea has used a steep angle in such launches, in part to avoid
   sending weapons over the territory of its neighbors.

   A normal trajectory launch would be much more provocative, since it
   could fly in the direction of U.S. territory. It could also show North
   Korea has made progress on important technical benchmarks, such as
   developing reentry vehicles that can successfully carry warheads
   through the atmosphere to far-away targets.

   North Korea sometimes conducts major weapons tests around key holidays.
   On Saturday, North Korea will celebrate the "Day of the Sun," which
   celebrates the 111th birthday of the country's late founding leader,
   Kim Il Sung.