North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Toward Sea of Japan

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday morning, Oct. 3, drawing a strong protest from Tokyo, which described the launch as a serious issue concerning the safety of Japanese citizens.

Launch Detected Early Saturday

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said a ballistic missile was detected at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, launched from the Wonsan area in Kangwon Province and flying toward the East Sea, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

Japan's Defense Ministry separately announced that Pyongyang had conducted the launch and said the missile is believed to have fallen into waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). No damage to aircraft or ships has been confirmed.

Key Details at a Glance

• Launch time: Around 6:30 a.m. Saturday
• Launch site: Around Wonsan, Kangwon Province
• Flight distance: About 680 kilometers per Japan's Defense Ministry; around 700 kilometers per South Korea's JCS
• Maximum altitude: About 90 kilometers
• Fall point: Believed to be outside Japan's exclusive economic zone
• Damage: None confirmed to aircraft or ships

Japan Lodges Strong Protest

The Japanese government lodged a strong protest with North Korea over the firing, calling the missile launch a serious issue concerning the safety of Japanese citizens, according to the Defense Ministry.

Tokyo and Seoul, which both detected the launch, are closely sharing information, while South Korea's JCS said Seoul and Washington are “conducting a detailed analysis to determine the missile's exact specifications” and have been tracking and sharing related data.

First Launch Since September

Saturday's firing marked North Korea's first ballistic missile launch since it fired a short-range missile on Sept. 20, according to Japanese officials.