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North Korea has launched a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan’s Coast Guard. The move comes ahead of upcoming US-South Korea joint military drills in Washington next week.
The launch follows a warning from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry that it would take “unprecedentedly” strong action against South Korea in response to the planned exercises. The missile was fired from an area near Wonsan on North Korea’s east coast.
The US and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises, which North Korea views as a provocation. The US has also imposed sanctions on North Korea in an effort to pressure the country to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
The latest launch is likely to increase tensions between the US and North Korea, as well as between North and South Korea. The US has urged North Korea to return to negotiations and abandon its nuclear weapons program.
The US and South Korea have also called on China to use its influence to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program. China is North Korea’s closest ally and has been reluctant to impose sanctions on the country.
The latest launch is likely to further complicate efforts to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It remains to be seen how the US and South Korea will respond to the launch, and whether it will lead to further provocations from North Korea.