North Korea fires another ballistic missile. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired a ballistic missile off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday.
The missile was launched from North Korea’s Sunan region at roughly 7.52 a.m. local time, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
North Korea launched “at least one ballistic missile,” according to Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, which traveled 300 kilometers (186 miles) and reached a maximum height of 600 kilometers (373 miles).
Pyongyang hasn’t fired a missile since January 30 local time, when it claimed to have launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), its longest-range missile since 2017. According to Japan’s assessments, Sunday’s test was of a missile with a lesser range than that test.
According to the Blue House, the South Korean presidential office, South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) stated the launch was “undesirable” for peace stabilization as the world tries to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
The North Korean missile test was also met with “deep worry and profound sorrow” by the NSC, which urged the North to “immediately cease activities opposed to peaceful settlement via negotiation.”
The latest launch comes fewer than two weeks before the March 9 presidential election in South Korea, in which North Korea is expected to be a major campaign issue. Analysts predict conservative contender Yoon Suk Yeol, if elected, to adopt a far tougher stance towards the North than incumbent President Moon Jae-in.
According to official media, North Korea has increased its missile testing in 2022, citing plans to reinforce its defenses against the US and examine “restarting all temporally paused activity.”
North Korea conducted seven missile tests in the first four weeks of 2022, none of which were long-range missiles.