N. Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Toward Sea of Japan

South Korea’s military reported on Friday that North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch but did not release further details. Japan’s government said the projectile appeared to be a ballistic missile that likely fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that no damage had been reported.

North Korea’s last missile test took place on 22 October, a day before South Korea hosted the APEC Economic Cooperation Summit and welcomed US President Donald Trump’s visit.

Earlier in October, Pyongyang held large-scale celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, where leader Kim Jong Un delivered a speech sending strong messages to the United States.

The event featured the first public appearance of the solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-20, which state media described as the country’s most powerful strategic nuclear weapon, capable of reaching any point within the US mainland.

North Korea has consistently declared its commitment to maintaining its nuclear arsenal. In 2022, the country officially declared itself a nuclear state and vowed never to relinquish its weapons.

After Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, Kim Jong Un reiterated that North Korea would never abandon its nuclear program but expressed openness to discussing peaceful coexistence with the United States if Washington dropped its insistence on denuclearization.

The country remains under strict international sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which violate UN Security Council resolutions.

However, analysts say the sanctions have lost much of their impact due to growing economic, military, and political support from Russia and China.