North Korea fired an “unidentified ballistic missile” at dawn on Saturday, according to the South Korean army, in a new episode of escalating tensions between the two neighbors days after 5 North Korean drones entered Seoul airspace.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said “North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea,” referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
In Tokyo, the Ministry of Defense also tweeted about the launch of “an object that looks like a ballistic missile.”
President of South Korea
The new launch comes 5 days after five North Korean drones infiltrated South Korean airspace, one of which flew near the country’s capital, Seoul. However, despite the 5-hour operation, the army failed to shoot down the North Korean drones, prompting widespread criticism of this response.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol called the first air incursion in five years “unbearable”, promising to let North Korea know that “provocations will always have serious consequences for her.”
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the South Korean army conducted an exercise on Thursday to strengthen defense against drones.
Saturday’s dawn launch of the new rocket also coincides with the ruling Workers’ Party’s major annual meeting, where leader Kim Jong-un and other senior officials present their political goals for 2023 in key areas such as diplomacy, security and the economy.
