Tokyo, Mar 17 (UNI) The Japanese government has sanctioned three North Korean officials involved in the development of nuclear and missile programs of North Korea in response to Pyongyang's launch of a Hwansong-17 ballistic missile on Thursday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Friday.
On Thursday, Japan's Defense Ministry said that North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile from Sunan District in Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan. The missile flew for about 70 minutes and presumably landed at 8:19 a.m. local time (23:19 GMT on Wednesday) 125 miles from Oshima Island in Hokkaido, outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. The missile traveled some 620 miles at an altitude of 3,728 miles, according to the Japanese military. The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday that North Korea test-fired a Hwansong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday in response to joint military drills, held by the United States and South Korea.
"These provocative actions, taken with unprecedented frequency, constitute a serious and imminent threat and are totally unacceptable," Matsuno told a briefing.