North Korea fires missile into sea, says South Korean military

SEOUL: According to South Korea’s military and Yonhap news agency, North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, June 26.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch but provided no details, stating that an investigation is underway.

The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed via social media platform X that North Korea had fired a possible ballistic missile.

The statement described the projectile fired toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, as “the suspected ballistic missile from North Korea is not expected to reach Japan.”

This launch follows North Korea sending balloons carrying trash into South Korea, escalating cross-border tensions.

North Korea’s previous missile launch was on May 30, when Seoul accused Pyongyang of firing about ten short-range ballistic missiles.

The next day, North Korean state media released images of leader Kim Jong Un overseeing tests of a multiple rocket launcher system.

Analysts believe the nuclear-armed North may be testing and ramping up production of artillery and cruise missiles for potential use by Russia in Ukraine.

The Pentagon confirmed this behavior in a report released last month.

This week, Seoul’s military reported more trash-filled balloons from North Korea, intensifying a series of border barrages and sparking a tit-for-tat propaganda campaign.

Pyongyang claims the balloons are in retaliation for activists’ balloons carrying propaganda criticizing Kim’s leadership.

In response, Seoul halted a military agreement aimed at reducing tensions and resumed some propaganda broadcasts over border loudspeakers.

Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, warned this month that if leaflet drops and loudspeaker broadcasts continued, Seoul would “undoubtedly witness the new counteraction of the DPRK.”

Original Story by: CNA