Guam Homeland Security Says Monitoring Situation After N Korea's Missile Launch

According to a statement posted by the Homeland Security Department of Guam, the department is monitoring the situation following North Korea's recent missile launch.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Homeland Security Department of Guam, a US territory in the Western Pacific, said Wednesday that it continued to monitor the situation following Pyongyang's most recent ballistic missile launch.

"The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD), in conjunction with the Mariana Regional Fusion Center (MRFC), our federal and military partners, continue to monitor the recent events surrounding North Korea including the launch of a ballistic missile towards Japan’s northeast region yesterday morning," the statement posted on the department's Facebook page read.

According to George Charfauros, Guam's Homeland Security adviser, the US Department of Defense would be capable of counteracting any threats which target the country's territories and allies, the statement said.

On Tuesday, North Korea launched an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 ballistic missile, which flew over Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean 733 miles east of Japan's northern island Hokkaido. 

Earlier this day, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un said that the latest missile test comprised "the first step of the military operation of the [Korean People's Army] in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam."