North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Off East Coast, Reports South Korea

On Monday, North Korea launched a ballistic missile off its east coast, according to South Korea’s military. This action came just a day after North Korea promised to take “offensive and overwhelming countermeasures” in response to a new military exercise conducted by the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea confirmed the missile launch on Monday morning but did not provide additional details, such as the distance the missile traveled.

This missile launch occurred two days after the conclusion of the “Freedom Edge” drill, a new multidomain trilateral exercise involving South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. The drill featured a U.S. aircraft carrier, destroyers, fighter jets, and helicopters from the three nations, and included practices for missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and maritime interdiction.

On Sunday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry released a lengthy statement condemning the U.S., South Korea, and Japan for their joint drill. The statement described the exercise as an Asian version of NATO, accusing the U.S. of trying to escalate regional military tensions, pressure Russia, and encircle China.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry declared that it would “firmly defend the sovereignty, security, and interests of the state and peace in the region through offensive and overwhelming countermeasures.”

Monday’s missile launch was North Korea’s first weapons test in five days. Last Wednesday, North Korea launched what it claimed to be a multiwarhead missile, marking the first known test of an advanced weapon designed to overcome U.S. and South Korean missile defenses. While North Korea asserted that the launch was successful, South Korea dismissed this claim as a cover-up for a failed test.

In recent weeks, North Korea has also been sending balloons filled with trash into South Korea, describing this as a tit-for-tat response to South Korean activists who have been sending political leaflets into North Korea using their own balloons.