North Korea fires ballistic missile just six days after previous launch
North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile off its east coast ahead of a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.
North Korea conducts a test launch of a tactical ballistic missile on April 20 in this photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
YONHAP
North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, days ahead of a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.
“We have detected the missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea toward the East Sea at around 6 a.m.,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
The missile flew more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) and marked North Korea’s 11th ballistic missile launch this year. South Korea and the United States are reportedly conducting a detailed analysis of its exact specifications.
The launch marks North Korea’s second ballistic missile test in under a week. It fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea last Thursday.
The consecutive tests are seen as a protest against Ulchi Freedom Shield, the annual South Korea-U.S. combined military exercise, set to begin next Monday.
After the launch, South Korea’s Office of National Security held an emergency security situation review meeting, attended by officials from the Ministry of National Defense, the JCS and other relevant agencies.
“North Korea’s ballistic missile launches are provocative acts that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions,” the office said, calling for an immediate halt.
The JCS added that it is working closely with allied countries to monitor the launch and prepare a response.
“South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have tracked and shared related developments since the early stages of the launch and have also shared relevant information with Japan,” the senior military body said. “The military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various activities under a solid South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintains the capability and readiness to […] respond to any provocation."
BY KIM EUN-BIN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
