North Korea fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles in an eastward direction on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said.
South Korea detected several projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles fired from an area near North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, in a northeasterly direction early on Wednesday, its Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
It was the first launch of ballistic missiles since May by Pyongyang, which has defied an international ban backed by the US and South Korea on such weapons development. A brief statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff gave no further details such as how far the weapon flew.
South Korea was sharing information about the launch with the US and Japan, the military said.
Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi said there was no impact on Japan’s security from the North Korean missile launch and Tokyo was sharing real-time information with the US.
North Korea usually test-launches missiles in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, causing no damage in neighbouring countries. But the Joint Chiefs of Staff statement only said the latest missile was launched in an eastward direction.
The launch comes days before South Korea hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference. US president Donald Trump, Chinese president Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to gather in the South Korean city of Gyeongju.
Experts earlier said North Korea could launch provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underscore its commitment to being recognised as a nuclear weapons state. Experts say Kim would need that status to call for the UN to lift punishing economic sanctions on it.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been sharply accelerating the pace of weapons tests since since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over US-led economic sanctions on North Korea. But last month, Mr Kim suggested he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its demand for a denuclearisation of North Korea, after Mr Trump repeatedly expressed his hopes for a new round of diplomacy.
Earlier this month, Mr Kim displayed a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a massive military parade in Pyongyang, with top Chinese, Russian and other leaders present. The parade, which marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, highlighted Mr Kim’s growing diplomatic footing and his relentless drive to build an arsenal that could strike the US and its allies. Analysts say Mr Kim would believe an expanded nuclear arsenal would increase his leverage in potential talks with the US.
North Korea’s state media said the 10 Oct parade featured the Hwasong-20 ICBM, which it described as the country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system.” Observers said the ICBM is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to defeat US missile defences and that North Korea could test-launch it in coming months.
Mr Kim’s diplomatic credentials have been bolstered recently. He took centre stage with Mr Xi and Russian president Vladimir Putin at a Beijing military parade last month. Mr Trump and South Korean president Lee Jae Myung have also repeatedly expressed hopes to meet Mr Kim as he flaunts a provocative nuclear programme.
(With additional input from Reuters)
