North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile into the sea

Key Facts

• The launch would be the first by leader Kim Jong-un in 2022 North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, in its first such launch since October.
• In 2017, North Korea tested the Hwasong-15, a missile that peaked at an estimated altitude of 4,500km, putting US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam well within striking distance.
• The launch comes days after Mr Kim said that Pyongyang would continue to strengthen its defence capabilities due to an increasingly unstable military environment on the Korean peninsula - a stance Mr Panda warned could see 2022 "littered with similar North Korean missiles".
• In 2021, North Korea continued the advancement of its weapons programme, conducting what state media reported as the testing of a new hypersonic missile, as well as a train-based ballistic missile and a new long-range cruise missile.

Click To Read Full Article