North Korea launched a missile towards the sea in what is widely seen as a response to ongoing joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea, with Tokyo indicating that it may have been a ballistic missile.
According to South Korea’s armed forces, the launch was carried out towards waters off the country’s east coast. No further details were immediately released.
Japan’s coast guard said the missile appeared to have fallen into the sea. Public broadcaster NHK, citing sources within the Ministry of Defence, reported that the projectile landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The launch comes five days after the start of large-scale joint drills between Seoul and Washington, which the two allies describe as purely defensive in nature.
North Korea, which possesses a nuclear arsenal, routinely reacts strongly to such exercises, describing them as “rehearsals” for an armed attack against the country.
The development comes a day after a meeting between South Korea’s prime minister and US President Donald Trump in Washington, where ways to resume dialogue with Pyongyang were discussed. Talks have effectively been stalled since 2019.