TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2022) The missile that North Korea launched on Sunday covered over 650 kilometers (403 miles) in an atypical trajectory, the Kyodo news agency reported on Monday, citing Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.
In a normal trajectory the distance that the missile covers is about 400 kilometers, Hamada said.
North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on September 25 for the first time since July 5, 2022. The flight altitude was 50 kilometers. The missile landed outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan. The Japanese government issued a protest to North Korea through its embassy in Beijing.
North Korea intensified launches of ballistic missiles and other projectiles in 2022. Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang launched 19 missiles, compared to the eight missiles last year.
According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), North Korea spent $1,221 per minute on its nuclear program in 2021, or a total of $642 million. ICAN estimates that North Korea has 20 ready nuclear warheads. Pyongyang is developing nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from the ground and from submarines.
