N. Korea Fires 7th Ballistic Missile of Year, 4th in April

North Korea fired suspected ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, April 19, marking the country's seventh ballistic missile launch this year and its fourth in April alone. Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi confirmed the launches were multiple and that the projectiles appeared to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported the missiles flew eastward and said military analysts are currently examining the specifications, including range and other characteristics. The launch came 11 days after Pyongyang's previous ballistic missile provocation on April 8, when the North fired ballistic missiles twice in a single day. The country has accelerated its testing schedule this year, with previous launches occurring on January 4, January 27, and March 14. Professor Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University told Reuters that North Korea is taking advantage of the United States being focused on Iran, calling it "a golden time to upgrade their nuclear power and missile capability." Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that the United States, South Korea, and Japan are closely coordinating to analyze the incident. Japan convened its emergency response team at the Crisis Management Center in the Prime Minister's Office immediately after the launch. The ballistic missile tests violate United Nations Security Council resolutions against North Korea's missile program, though Pyongyang rejects the restrictions and maintains such tests are a sovereign right to self-defense.