US denounces latest North Korean missile test

U.S. officials have denounced North Korea after its government fired a long-range missile into the Sea of Japan on Saturday.

“This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, adding, “This launch needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region. It only demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people.”

The North Korean missile test comes a day after the country threatened to respond to an announcement of joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises.

The missile landed about 200 kilometers west of Oshima island in the Sea of Japan, within Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Japanese officials say there was no damage from the missile.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launch “an act of violence that escalates provocation toward the international order.” 

The missile launch is the second of the year from North Korea. The country launched over 70 ballistic missiles last year, including some with the potential to reach the U.S. mainland.

The North Korean statement on Friday accused the U.S. and South Korea of raising tensions after they announced 20 joint military drills this year, calling the U.S. “the arch-criminals deliberately disrupting regional peace and stability.”