North Korea fires ballistic missile as Seoul and Washington prepare for joint military drills
The projectile travelled over 700km towards the Sea of Japan, drawing sharp condemnation and heightened surveillance from South Korean and Japanese authorities amid escalating regional tensions.
North Korea has launched a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, marking its second such weapons test in less than a week. The launch occurred on Wednesday morning as South Korea and the United States announced plans for their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, scheduled to begin on 17 August.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the missile was fired from the Wonsan area at approximately 06:00 local time. Officials stated the projectile flew more than 700km before falling into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. Japan’s Defence Ministry verified the launch, confirming the missile had landed without providing specific details on the impact site.
The timing of the test coincides with the announcement of the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which will run for 11 days and involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers. Experts view the launch as a direct response to the upcoming exercises, which Seoul and Washington describe as defensive in nature but which Pyongyang has historically denounced as rehearsals for invasion.
This event follows a short-range ballistic missile test detected on 6 August, which was Pyongyang’s first ballistic weapons activity since late June. North Korean state media has also intensified its criticism of Tokyo’s defence policy, condemning Japan’s latest defence white paper as a “re-invasion-minded” document used to justify an arms buildup.
Tensions have further escalated due to allegations regarding North Korea’s involvement in the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Tuesday that Moscow had used a North Korean ballistic missile in an attack on a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, which resulted in the deaths of seven workers.
