South Korea’s military says North Korea launched a “space launch vehicle” after earlier this month announcing a plan to put its first military spy satellite into orbit.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the launch took place at about 6:29 a.m. local time Wednesday from the North Pyongan Province and that the projectile traveled south. It flew over South Korea’s Baengnyeong Island, which is located in the Yellow Sea between North and South Korea.
Following the launch, officials in South Korea’s capital of Seoul sent alerts over public speakers and smartphones for residents to prepare for evacuation, but there were no immediate reports of damages or disruption.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan tweeted that North Korea had launched a “suspected ballistic missile.”
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo also tweeted that “the Japanese government is warning that North Korea may have launched a missile. The government is urging people in #Okinawa to take shelter immediately.”
Japan’s coast guard said Monday that North Korea informed it of a plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11.
A satellite launch by North Korea is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the country from using ballistic technology because it’s regarded as a cover for missile tests.
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