North Korea fires ballistic missile toward sea, South Korea and Japan say
EWY•North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast on Saturday, South Korea and Japan said. The South Korean military said it launched from the Wonsan area around 6:30 a.m.; Japan’s coast guard said the object appeared to have come down.
1. Missile launch
The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, the South Korean military said. It did not say how far the missile flew. Japan’s coast guard, citing the Japanese defence ministry, said the object may have been a ballistic missile and appeared to have come down, and warned ships to take precautions.
2. Regional response
South Korea’s military said it had raised monitoring for further missile tests and would share intelligence with the United States and Japan. South Korea’s presidential office said its national security council convened an emergency meeting to assess the launch.
3. Border tensions
The launch came after Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed Seoul’s demand for an apology over mines that South Korea said seriously wounded two soldiers in the Demilitarised Zone. North Korea has disavowed unification as a national goal and called South Korea its “primary foe.”
