Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: South Korea’s military stated that North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile of unspecified classification. This launch was Pyongyang’s first test since the start of the year and came days before Seoul and Washington were scheduled to start bilateral tabletop exercises.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, “North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into (the) East Sea (Sea of Japan).”
North Korea fired ballistic missile
Japan’s defense ministry, while confirming the launch, elaborated that it was possibly a ballistic missile.
Military tensions have increased in the region following a year in which North Korea termed itself an “irreversible” nuclear state and has undertaken sanctions-busting weapons tests almost every month.
As a response, Seoul has ramped up bilateral military exercises with its vital security ally Washington, in order to convince the increasingly panicky South Korean public of American commitment to deter Pyongyang.
Saturday’s launch, which was Pyongyang’s first since New Year’s Day, came days before a new tabletop exercise in Washington between South Korea and the US, in which the two allies will deliberate on how to respond to the use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang.
South Korea’s hawkish President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May 2022, has promised to get tough on the North.
