North Korea Launches Suspected Ballistic Missile, South Korea Says

(Bloomberg) -- North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast early Thursday, South Korea’s military said, days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his nuclear weapons capabilities exponentially and prepare his troops for combat.

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The missiles were launched from an area near Pyongyang, flying some 360 kilometers toward waters off the nation’s east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Japan’s defense ministry said the missiles reached an altitude of 100 km.

Japanese broadcaster NHK said the projectiles appear to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, citing Japanese defense ministry sources it did not identify.

“We strongly condemn North Korea’s missile launches as a clear act of provocation that seriously threatens the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” South Korea’s military said in a statement.

The latest firing came as senior defense officials from around the globe gathered in Seoul for a series of security meetings. On Tuesday, defense officials from the US, South Korea and Japan met and agreed to update their plan for multi-year trilateral exercises by the end of the year.

The three countries have been stepping up their cooperation to better counter North Korea’s growing threats, signing a pact on joint military training in July in an accord that built on a major trilateral summit hosted by President Joe Biden at Camp David in August 2023.

The firing marked North Korea’s first missile launch in over two months after Kim’s regime shot off two ballistic missiles that it said could carry 4.5 ton-class super-large warheads on July 1. South Korea’s military said one of those missiles encountered trouble in flight and disappeared from radar after flying about 120 kilometers (75 miles) — indicating a failed test.

North Korea stayed relatively quiet during the joint training between the US and South Korea last month after heavy floods hit the country’s northern region. Pyongyang has long bristled at the drills, calling them a rehearsal for invasion.

In a speech marking the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding this week, Kim said North Korea will bolster its nuclear weapons capabilities and have troops ready for combat as he accused Washington of expanding a “nuclear-based military bloc” in the region.

North Korea has fired more than 30 ballistic missiles and one space rocket so far this year, exceeding its total from 2023. The tally is still short of the more than 70 ballistic missiles tested in 2022 — a record for the state.

North Korea may be considering a nuclear test near the time of the November US presidential election to raise its profile, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s national security adviser Shin Wonsik said in July, when he was serving as defense minister.

--With assistance from Ryotaro Nakamaru.

(Updates with details missile flight range)

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