NKorea Test Launches Missile Capable of Striking US

North Korea on Thursday test launched a short-range ballistic missile capable of striking anywhere in the U.S., a move Vice President Kamala Harris called a "brazen violation" of U.N. security resolutions and an act that "destabilizes security in the region and unnecessarily raises tensions."

The missile landed 124 miles west of Oshima-Oshima Island in Japan's economic zone. Japan and South Korea also condemned the launch.

"We naturally lodged a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency," Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, told reporters in Thailand, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting.

"We have told [Pyongyang] that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions," Kishida said. "Japan, the U.S. and South Korea must coordinate closely to work toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea."

Harris convened a meeting with regional leaders on the sidelines of APEC to discuss the launch.

South Korea said the missile flew 621 miles at an altitude of 3,852 miles and speeds of Mach 22.

Tokyo's defense ministry told reporters the missile had been fired on a "lofted trajectory," meaning the missile is fired up, typically to avoid flying over neighboring countries.

"Based on calculations taking the trajectory into account, the ballistic missile this time around could have had a range capability of 15,000 km, depending on the weight of its warhead, and if that's the case, it means the U.S. mainland was within its range," said Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's minister of defense.

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