Taiwan strongly condemned North Korea on Tuesday for firing a medium-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, once again escalating regional tensions.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, the Foreign Ministry said that North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile at around 6:53 a.m. local time on the same day (Taiwan time 5:53 a.m.), a mere 15 days after the last missile test. The ministry denounced North Korea’s reckless and provocative actions for repeatedly undermining regional peace and stability. It added that it will continue to monitor the situation and work with like-minded countries to safeguard the freedom, prosperity, and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
News reports said this is the third missile test for 2024 and comes before South Korea’s upcoming general elections on April 10. Japan’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the missile launch with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stating that North Korea’s actions are a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.