North Korea test-launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile and two shorter-range weapons into the sea Wednesday, South Korea said, hours after US President Joe Biden ended a trip to Asia where he reaffirmed the US commitment to defend its allies in the face of the North's nuclear threat.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
If confirmed, it would be North Korea's first ICBM launch in about two months amid stalled nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Breaking its 2018 moratorium on long-distance launches, North Korea in March claimed to have test-launched its longest-range missile as part of its development of functioning nuclear-armed missiles that can reach the American homeland.
South Korea's military said the suspected ICBM reached a maximum height of 540 kilometers (335 miles) while traveling 360 kilometers (223 miles) east after being fired from the North's capital region. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North apparently lost the second missile 20 kilometers (12 miles) into the flight, while the third missile flew 760 kilometers (472 miles) at an apogee of 60 kilometers (37 miles).
Before Wednesday, North Korea's most recent missile tests were on May 12, hours after the country acknowledged a COVID-19 outbreak and ended a widely disputed claim to have been coronavirus-free for more than two years.
