North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile, denouncing U.S.-led military displays, including the deployment of a submarine in South Korea, as a prelude to “a nuclear war preview.”
The missile, fired toward the sea off North Korea’s east coast, covered approximately 570 km before landing in the ocean, as reported by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). This action followed warnings from Seoul and Tokyo about North Korea’s potential test-firing, possibly involving one of its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) this month.
Despite United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting all North Korean ballistic missile activities, Pyongyang insists on its sovereign right to self-defense. South Korea’s JCS condemned the recent launch as a blatant violation of the UN Security Council resolution.
Shortly after the missile launch, North Korean state media carried a statement from the defense ministry, criticizing “military gangsters” in the U.S. and South Korea for heightening tensions through drills, displays of force, and nuclear war planning. The statement specifically referenced the arrival of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Missouri in Busan, warning of the DPRK’s commitment to neutralizing any attempt to incite a nuclear war.
The defense ministry spokesman also lambasted South Korea and the U.S. for their second Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Washington, part of joint efforts to streamline war planning and amplify military displays as a deterrent to North Korea. The launch was promptly detected, tracked, and shared in real-time between the United States, Japan, and South Korea, aligning with their plans for a missile information sharing system.
Approximately 20 minutes after the launch report, the Japanese coast guard confirmed the missile’s fall outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to broadcaster NTV.
