TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2022) The Japanese government in cooperation with the United States and South Korea is gathering information about North Korea's latest alleged missile launch, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, the South Korean military reported that North Korea had launched one short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan. According to the statement, the North Korean missile flew about 240 kilometers (150 miles), reaching an altitude of 47 kilometers, at Mach 4 speed (3,069 miles per hour).
"We abstain from commenting on media reports and will proceed with gathering and analyzing information in cooperation with the US and South Korea," Matsuno said at a press conference.
South Korean Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se, in turn, indicated the government stance on some key issues in an interview with Yonhap news Agency earlier in the day. In particular, he said that denuclearization of North Korea was not unachievable and dialogue efforts should continue.
The minister added that there might be "no urgent demand" for North Korea to conduct a nuclear test. He explained that the North's decision might depend on the results of China's National People's Congress in March 2023.
He also said, according to the media, that South Korea currently had no plans for acquiring nuclear weapons, but "if inter-Korean relations continue to get worse" and the South's population strongly supports nuclear armament, then the government might make a corresponding decision, including deployment of US tactical nuclear weapons. In October, the Newspim agency reported that 35% of South Koreans were in favor of acquiring nuclear weapons.
Earlier on Thursday, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui warned the United States and its allies in the region that Pyongyang would respond proportionally to Washington's bolstering of extended deterrence and intensification of provocative military activities in the region.
North Korea has conducted over 30 missile test launches since the start of 2022. On November 2, Pyongyang launched more than 20 missiles of various types. Pyongyang has said North Korea's military-related activities come in response to "provocations" by South Korea and its allies - the US and Japan.
