Seoul(National Times)- North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul\u2019s military said, with the launch coming after Pyongyang lambasted Japan\u2019s military build-up in the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Korea, which since 2019 has repeatedly declared itself an \u201cirreversible\u201d nuclear state, featured among growing regional threats in a recent Japanese government assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tokyo\u2019s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said this week that Japan\u2019s military needs to be boosted with a \u201csense of urgency and crisis\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement carried by North Korean state media on Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong \u2014 the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un \u2014 said Pyongyang\u2019s \u201cleadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan\u2019s transformation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Thursday, South Korea\u2019s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said that \u201cour military detected one short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea at around 5pm (0800 GMT)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities in Seoul and Washington were analysing the missile\u2019s exact specifications, it added in a message to news organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The JCS said earlier the missile was launched towards the East Sea, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tokyo\u2019s defence ministry posted on X that \u201csomething that may be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea\u201d, later saying there was no impact \u201con the areas around Japan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seoul has strengthened surveillance and maintained readiness for possible additional launches while sharing information with its security allies \u2014 the United States and Japan, the JCS said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Korea and the United States are expected to carry out their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, later this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Korea has always been infuriated by such joint drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the South Korea-US combined defence posture \u201cour military is maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation\u201d, Seoul\u2019s JCS said on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018New militarism\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Korea has deepened economic and military ties with Russia, supplying troops and munitions for Moscow\u2019s war in Ukraine in exchange for financial support, food, energy and military technology, analysts say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some experts said Thursday\u2019s launch could have been intended to test weapons before Kim Jong Un\u2019s expected visit to Russia this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore heading to Russia, Kim may have wanted to demonstrate that Pyongyang had already tested these missile systems and achieved satisfactory results,\u201d Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean-born researcher, told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the trip materialises, Kim is very likely to showcase them to Russia or seek to export them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japan\u2019s defence ministry declined to comment directly on Kim Yo Jong\u2019s Wednesday diatribe but said the country\u2019s defence capabilities \u201cremain bare minimum\u201d and \u201care not meant to threaten other countries\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tokyo raised its military expenditure by 9.7 per cent to $62.2 billion in 2025 \u2014 equivalent to 1.4pc of GDP, its highest share since 1958.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China, a key ally of North Korea, has also recently expressed alarm at what it sees as \u201cnew militarism\u201d by Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Korea\u2019s dovish President Lee Jae Myung has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor since taking power in Seoul in June 2025, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hermetic leadership of North Korea has yet to respond to his repeated offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-53 war, triggered by a North Korean attack, ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seoul(National Times)- North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul\u2019s military said, with the launch coming after Pyongyang lambasted Japan\u2019s military build-up in the Pacific. North Korea, which since 2019 has repeatedly declared itself an \u201cirreversible\u201d nuclear state, featured among growing regional threats in a recent Japanese government assessment. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n