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Japan, S. Korea condemn N. Korean ballistic missile launch

TOKYO, Aug 29 (KUNA) -- Japan and South Korea on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea's test-firing of a ballistic missile earlier in the day, which flew over Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean.
"A missile launch across Japan is an outrageous act that poses an unprecedented, grave and serious threat, and significantly undermines the peace and security of the region. The government has lodged a firm protest against North Korea," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters after the launch.
"We will collaborate with the international community at the UN in urging the further strengthening of pressure on North Korea," Abe said, adding that Tokyo has asked the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting.
Abe also said that the government is closely monitoring developments related to the missile and has been taking all possible measures to protect the lives of the Japanese people. "We will make every effort to ensure the safety and security of the Japanese people with a sense of urgency to be able to deal with any situation under the robust Japan-US Alliance," he noted.
According to the government, the missile was launched from Pyongyang early Tuesday and fell into the sea 1,180 km east of the Cape Erimo on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, the government said.
The premier held the National Security Council meeting, in which he instructed relevant ministries and agencies to coordinate with the international community in urging North Korea to exercise self-restraint. Meanwhile in Seoul, the South Korean government also denounced North Korea, saying that "we strongly condemn the North's yet another provocation despite a grave message sent through Resolution 2371 adopted by the international community in the wake of its repeated strategic provocations," according to Yonhap News Agency. "The North should come out to the road toward talks as soon as possible in recognition of the fact that denuclearization is the only way to security and economic development instead of seeking reckless provocations," the government said in a statement.
The government said that it will firmly respond if the North continues its provocations based on strong alliance with the US.
The North appears to be trying to show off its capability of striking major US military facilities in Japan and Guam, and protesting the allies' combined military exercise, South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in a background briefing in Seoul. Last weekend, the North launched three projectiles that the allies determined were short-range ballistic missiles. (pickup previous) mk.ag