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North Korean missile travels 500 km, reaches maximum altitude of 50 km — Japan's top brass

Japanese authorities had "lodged a strong protest with North Korea over the incident"

TOKYO, January 14. /TASS/. The ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Sunday flew 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 50 km, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The missile traveled at least 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 50 km and fell into the Sea of Japan outside our country's exclusive economic zone," the ministry said, adding that Japanese authorities had "lodged a strong protest with North Korea over the incident."

According to the statement, Japan "will continue to collect and analyze information in close cooperation with the United States and South Korea." North Korea fired a missile for the first time since the beginning of the year.

On December 18, 2023, the country launched the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. According to the North Korean Central News Agency, the missile flew 1,002.3 kilometers in 4,415 seconds with a maximum altitude of 6,518.2 kilometers and "accurately hit the targeted water area.".