Kyodo News "Emergency Summit of Six Countries Including South Korea, US, and Japan on North Korea's ICBM Launch"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] According to Kyodo News citing Japanese government officials, an emergency summit involving South Korea, the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will be held on the afternoon of the 18th in response to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that at around 10:15 a.m. that day, they detected one ICBM launched from the Sunan area of Pyongyang toward the East Sea. The ICBM's flight distance was approximately 1,000 km, altitude about 6,100 km, and speed about Mach 22 (22 times the speed of sound). Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu assessed that based on the flight trajectory of the ballistic missile launched by North Korea this time, the range could exceed 15,000 km, which would put the U.S. mainland within range.

Following North Korea's missile launch, White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated in a press release, "The United States strongly condemns North Korea's long-range ballistic missile test," adding, "President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation, and he and his national security team will continue close consultations with allies and partners, including trilateral talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.