NKorea Fires Missile Toward Japan
By Todd Zaun
Associated Press Writer
Monday, August 31, 1998; 2:20 a.m. EDT
TOKYO (AP) -- North Korean forces fired a ballistic missile toward
Japan on Monday, and it landed in the Sea of Japan, the Japanese
Defense Agency said.
Quoting unidentified U.S. military officials, the agency said the missile was
fired around noon (midnight EDT Sunday) and landed halfway between
North Korea and northwestern Japan -- about 300 miles across the Sea
of Japan.
In Washington, Defense Department spokesman Jim Kout said: ''We can
confirm that it did happen. The Defense Department feels it is a serious
development and will be evaluating the situation.''
No other details were immediately available. Japan's Foreign Ministry, the
U.S. military in Japan, the South Korean government and the U.S.
Embassy in Tokyo declined to comment.
Japan's Kyodo News, meanwhile, quoted unidentified Defense Agency
officials as saying they believe the missile was aimed at the open seas
between Russia and Japan.
If confirmed, it would be North Korea's first test firing of its Rodong
ballistic missile in five years.
In 1993, Pyongyang conducted a test firing of a Rodong missile toward
the Sea of Japan, which divides the peninsula from Japan. The missile has
a range of about 620 miles.
In 1996, the United States began talks with North Korea aimed at
persuading the secretive Communist country to freeze its missile program
and to join an international agreement designed to restrict missile
proliferation. The talks stalled.
Japan is currently boosting its budget for joint development of a missile
defense system with the United States, and has reportedly earmarked
$3.6 million for the project next year.
The United States has 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea, many of
them based near its border with North Korea. |
