North Korea May Have Launched a Ballistic Missile
Listen to the story
North Korea appears to have launched a ballistic missile, according to Japanese government sources. A ballistic missile is a weapon that can travel very high and very far before falling back to earth.
Japan's government detected a flying object that is believed to have come from North Korea. Officials are still confirming the exact details of the launch.
In response, Japan's prime minister instructed his staff to gather information quickly. This shows the government is treating the situation seriously.
According to government officials, the object is thought to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), an area of sea where Japan has special rights over resources.
This report is still developing, and Japanese authorities are expected to share more details soon. Such launches by North Korea often raise concern in the region because they may violate international rules on missile testing.
Japan has previously responded to similar situations with alerts and diplomatic statements, though no such actions have been confirmed yet in this case.
Vocabulary10 words
- ballistic missile
- a weapon that flies very high and far before landing
- flying object
- something seen moving through the sky
- prime minister
- the top leader of a country's government
- gather information
- to collect facts about something
- exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
- sea area where a country controls resources
- government officials
- people who work for a country's government
- launch
- to send something into the air or space
- detect
- to notice or find something
- diplomatic
- related to talks between countries
- authorities
- people or groups with official power
Quiz
Answer key
1. A flying object believed to be a missile 2. Gather information quickly 3. Outside Japan's EEZ
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
North Korea appears to have launched a _____, according to Japanese government sources.
Japan's government detected a flying object that is believed to have come from _____.
In response, Japan's prime minister instructed his staff to _____ information quickly.
According to government officials, the object is thought to have fallen outside Japan's _____.
Such launches by North Korea often raise _____ in the region.
This report is still _____, and Japanese authorities are expected to share more details soon.
Officials are still confirming the exact _____ of the launch.
Japan has previously responded to similar situations with alerts and _____ statements.
Discussion questions
- Why might North Korea's missile launches cause concern in the region?
- What steps do you think governments should take when this kind of event happens?
- Why is it important for a government to gather accurate information quickly?
- How might neighboring countries react to news like this?