North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbours said, ramping up testing activities in response to US-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
The missile launched from the North’s northwestern region flew across the country before it landed in the waters off its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
It said South Korea’s military has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the United States.
Japan’s Defence Ministry and coast guard said what appeared to be a North Korean missile was fired Sunday morning. They gave no further details.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile the country test-launched at the Sunan international airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, March 16, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited the South’s military as saying that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.
The launch, if confirmed, would be North Korea’s third round of weapons tests since the US and South Korean militaries began their joint military drills last week.
North Korea views the drills as a practice to launch an invasion, though the United States and South Korea have steadfastly said their training is defensive in nature.
The latest US-South Korean drills, which include computer simulations and field exercises, are to continue until Thursday.
The North Korean weapons recently tested included its longest-range Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the US mainland.
North Korea’s state media quoted leader Kim Jong Un as saying the ICBM launch was meant to “strike fear into the enemies”.