SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says it has detected that North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile toward waters off its eastern coast, adding to a series of weapons demonstrations that have raised tensions in the region.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday did not immediately confirm how far the missile flew. It was the North’s first known launch event since March 18, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of artillery systems designed to target South Korea’s capital.
Japan’s coast guard shared an assessment of the country’s Defense Ministry that the missile has already landed but still urged caution for vessels passing the area. Japanese broadcaster NHK said the missile likely didn’t reach the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The launch came two days after North Korea reaffirmed its plans to launch several reconnaissance satellites this year in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. South Korea’s military said Monday there were no signs that a satellite launch is impending at the North’s main launch facility in the northwest.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen since 2022 as Kim used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his testing of missiles and other weapons. The United States and South Korea have responded by expanding their combined training and trilateral drills involving Japan and sharpening their deterrence strategies built around strategic U.S. assets.
There are concerns that North Korea could further dial up pressure in an election year in the United States and South Korea.
The weapons North Korea have tested this year include an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to target the U.S. mainland as well as cruise missiles and “super-large” multiple rocket launchers aimed at the Seoul capital area.
North Korea also said last month that it tested a solid-fuel engine for its new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile as it tries to expand its arsenal of weapons aimed at remote U.S. targets in the Pacific, including the military hub of Guam.