North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile on Sunday, Yonhap said, its first such launch since shooting off its single-day record of eight at the start of June.
At least one missile was launched into the East Sea, Yonhap said, citing South Korea’s military. Japan’s Coast Guard also reported a suspected firing of a ballistic missile.
So far in 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fired off more ballistic missiles than in any other year of his decade in power. He has tested rockets designed to evade U.S.-operated interceptors, which increase the threat of a credible nuclear strike against the U.S. and its allies in Asia.
The test comes days after the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for joint military exercises due to take place later this month. It also takes place about a month after the U.S. and South Korea held the Ulchi Freedom Shield — their biggest joint military exercise in about five years.
Large-scale drills were put on hold to facilitate nuclear disarmament talks between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump, which produced no tangible results in winding down North Korea’s atomic arsenal. Pyongyang for decades has assailed joint exercises as a prelude to invasion and nuclear war.
Any display of the weapons in leader Kim’s nuclear arsenal would serve as a reminder of the pressing security problems posed by Pyongyang that have simmered as U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has been focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a show of defiance, North Korea fired two cruise missiles on Aug. 17 in a launch that coincided with a news conference from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to mark 100 days in office. Although there are no United Nations Security Council resolutions banning launches of such rockets, it was one of the most provocative moves from the state since it fired off eight ballistic missiles on a single day in June.
