North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile towards the sea, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported today, citing the Seoul military.
Japan confirmed the launch, with the Ministry of Defense cited by the coast guard as saying that a “possible ballistic missile was fired by North Korea”.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch, but did not provide details, highlighting that an analysis is underway.
The missile appears to have already crashed into the sea, the coast guard added in a statement.
This new missile launch comes in a context of increased cross-border tensions, with North Korea recently increasing the number of sending balloons loaded with waste and garbage to South Korean territory.
The Seoul Army today accused Pyongyang of launching around 350 balloons filled with garbage overnight.
Pyongyang has already sent more than a thousand balloons with waste to the South, which it presents as retaliation for the propaganda balloons sent by South Korean militants.
In response, Seoul suspended a military agreement aimed at reducing tensions and relaunched some propaganda broadcasts on loudspeakers along the border.
Vladimir Putin received by Kim Jong-un in North Korea
Gavriil Grigorov/AFP via Getty Images
The latest launch may be an apparent protest against the deployment of a US aircraft carrier in the region for a new trilateral military exercise including the United States, South Korea and Japan, reported the Associated Press ( AP)
The USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived in South Korea on Saturday and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded the aircraft carrier on Tuesday — the first sitting South Korean president to board a US aircraft carrier. USA since 1994.
Yoon told American and South Korean troops that their countries’ alliance is the largest in the world and can defeat any enemy.
North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il on Monday called the U.S. aircraft carrier deployment reckless and dangerous.
South Korean officials said the aircraft carrier’s arrival was aimed at helping Seoul deal with nuclear threats from North Korea and advancing military partnerships with Russia.
North Korea’s previous missile launch occurred on May 30, when Seoul accused Pyongyang of firing a salvo of about ten short-range ballistic missiles.
The following day, North Korean state media released images of leader Kim Jong Un participating in tests of a multiple rocket launch system.
Analysts suggest that North Korea may be increasing its missile production to supply Russia as part of its war in Ukraine, a report released last month by the Pentagon (Department of Defense) confirmed. from the USA).
