SEOUL — North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward waters off its east coast on Saturday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, deepening tensions after a recent dispute over land mines in the Demilitarized Zone.
The South Korean military said it detected the launch at about 6:30 a.m. local time from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. Japan’s Defense Ministry separately reported detecting at least one apparent ballistic missile that splashed down several minutes later. South Korea, the United States and Japan were sharing intelligence and maintaining heightened readiness, Seoul said.
Military authorities said they were still analyzing the missile’s range and characteristics. If confirmed as a ballistic missile, the launch would be North Korea’s 15th such test this year and the first in 13 days, following two short-range launches from the same coastal area on Sept. 20.
Those September firings, which flew roughly 450 kilometers and more than 600 kilometers, were later described by Pyongyang as tests of a Hwasongpho-11ma-1 system that it presented as a hypersonic glide vehicle designed to complicate missile defenses.
Land-mine row
Saturday’s launch came amid a sharp exchange over a land-mine blast last month that injured three South Korean soldiers south of the Military Demarcation Line on the western front. Seoul and the U.S.-led United Nations Command have attributed the blast to North Korean mines. South Korea demanded an apology and an end to fortification work along the border, including mines and anti-tank barriers.
On Friday, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed those demands as groundless and said the North intended to cut off contact with the South. The missile firing followed that rejection by about a day, according to timelines reported by South Korean and Japanese outlets.
Broader military displays
The test also follows weeks of North Korean military activity, including purported hypersonic missile trials, live-fire drills and the commissioning of a new warship. Kim Jong Un has continued to showcase nuclear and missile capabilities even as Washington has urged a return to diplomacy.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs said forces were strengthening surveillance against the possibility of further launches. No damage or casualties were reported from Saturday’s splashdown in the sea.
Join the conversation