Seoul: North Korea fired an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Monday, Seoul’s military said, according to Yonhap News Agency. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported detecting the launch of the projectile, suspected to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile, at 12 p.m. (0300 GMT) from the Pyongyang area. The missile flew approximately 1,100 km before splashing into the sea.
According to Kuwait News Agency, in response to the launch, the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized their preparedness for any additional launches. The military has strengthened its monitoring and vigilance while maintaining a collaborative information-sharing approach with the US and Japanese counterparts. The JCS reiterated their readiness posture without offering further specifics.
The missile launch coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Seoul for discussions with his South Korean counterpart. These talks aimed to address strategies for deterring threats from North Korea. This event also occurred just two weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office on January 20.
North Korea previously launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on November 5, just before the US presidential election. At a year-end party meeting, North Korea stated it would implement the “toughest” counteraction strategy against the US. The country claimed that military cooperation among South Korea, the US, and Japan had developed into a “military bloc for aggression.”