North Korea Launches Missile Ahead of South Korea-Japan Summit
North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, just hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga were set to meet at a summit in Tokyo.
The missile reportedly fell into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
This latest launch comes amid escalating tensions with North Korea, which recently fired cruise missiles from a submarine and short-range ballistic missiles across its territory into the Easter Sea.
Last week, the country also fired six short-range missiles in a military exercise overseen by its leader, Kim Jong-un.
The South Korea-Japan summit was expected to focus on strengthening cooperation between the two countries and the United States to counter North Korean threats.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a new poll conducted a few weeks after the U.S shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, reveals that more than half of Americans believe that China is the biggest threat to the country, while 22 percent believe Russia poses the biggest threat.
The missile launch is likely to further heighten tensions in the region and draw the attention of global leaders.
