Reason for North Korea missile alert in Japan revealed
According to a report by Yonhap, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched a "satellite rocket" from the Tongchang-ri region in its northwest at 22:44 local time.
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The statement indicated that the rocket broke into pieces and fell into the sea a few minutes after launch.
According to a report by Kyodo News, Japan's early warning system issued an alert for residents of Okinawa Island to move indoors or to shelters due to the "satellite rocket," which was stated to have been launched in the direction of the Yellow Sea.
ALERT LIFTED
However, a subsequent statement from the Prime Minister's Office announced that the rocket was not targeting the region and the alert was lifted.
In a report by NHK citing a Japanese Ministry of Defense official, it was stated that the liquid fuel in the "satellite rocket" launched by the North may have caught fire.
A statement from the Japan Coast Guard had previously noted that North Korea had informed them of plans to launch a "satellite rocket" in the coming days.