North Korea reportedly launched a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday, according to a statement issued by Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The provocative move comes just days after the secretive nation conducted live-fire exercises near the tense maritime border with South Korea, as per an AFP report.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul issued a statement, stating, “Our military detected one suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea around at 14:55,” referring to the Sea of Japan.
According to AFP, the statement provided no additional details, it noted that authorities in Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo are currently analysing the specifications of the missile.
“Our military maintains full readiness by closely sharing information related to the launched ‘North Korean missile’ with the US and Japan,” the JCS added.
Japan’s coast guard confirmed North Korea’s suspected missile launch, basing its confirmation on information provided by the country’s defence ministry. Warnings were issued to vessels in the region, advising them to exercise caution in response to the perceived threat.
North Korea’s most recent missile test, prior to this incident, involved the firing of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile into the East Sea on December 18.
The missile launch follows a series of rare live-fire drills conducted by North Korea near the maritime border with South Korea, prompting counter-exercises and evacuation orders for certain South Korean border regions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during a tour of major weapons factories earlier in the week, labelled Seoul as his “principal enemy” and issued a stark warning, declaring his readiness to annihilate the South.
On Wednesday, Kim was reported as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), “The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea (South Korea),” according to AFP.
The relations between the two nations have reached one of their lowest points in decades, marked by Kim incorporating the country’s permanent status as a nuclear power into the constitution and conducting multiple tests of advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In 2023, Pyongyang achieved the successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite into orbit. South Korea asserted that this accomplishment was facilitated by Russian assistance, allegedly exchanged for arms shipments supporting Moscow’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Kim has additionally conducted a series of tests on advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including what is claimed to be a solid-fuel version.