North Korea Launches Two Short-range Ballistic Missiles Towards Sea of Japan — Kyodo

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said both missiles have apparently splashed down outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the agency reported

MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan late on Tuesday, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday citing South Korean military.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said both missiles have apparently splashed down outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the agency reported.

Reuters, in turn, quoted the Japanese Defense Ministry as saying that the first ballistic missile covered the distance of 550 kilometers, the second - of 600 kilometers. The maximum altitude of their flight was 50 km.

North Korea test-launched its Hwasong-18 solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 12. As the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, the launch was personally directed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During the test-launch, the ICBM flew a distance of 1,001 km and fell in the Sea of Japan.

North Korea’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kim Song said at a UN Security Council meeting on this issue on July 13 that missile test-launches are an exercise in the republic’s right to self-defense, which is enshrined in the UN Charter.

North Korean Missiles Capable of Striking US Territory — Pentagon

"All the nuclear capability is still being reviewed," the commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. John Aquilino said

NEW YORK, July 19. /TASS/. Ballistic missiles currently being tested by North Korea will be capable of reaching the US territory, although it is unclear whether they can cover the distance if fitted with a nuclear warhead, a high-ranking US military official has said.

"The capability that they've delivered and demonstrated the other day - we assess could reach the United States," The commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. John Aquilino, told the Aspen Security Forum.

"All the nuclear capability is still being reviewed," he said, adding that this project would require "miniaturizing the warhead," and "it's not clear if they've achieved that capability yet.".