North Korea carries out ninth missile test of the year

By: Conor S.

North Korea on Saturday fired a possible ballistic missile into the sea, its ninth suspected weapons test of the year amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States.

The “unidentified projectile” was launched eastward from the Korean peninsula, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“The significant pace at which North Korea is developing its missile-launching technology is not something our country and the surrounding regions can overlook,” Nobuo Kishi, the defense minister of Japan, said after Saturday’s launch.

With denuclearization off the table for now, the communist state – often called the Hermit Kingdom – conducted a record number of seven tests in January, before resuming on Feb. 27.

South Korea’s National Security Council criticized the pace of launches, and promised to “even more closely monitor North Korea’s nuclear and missile-related facilities.”