The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that they detected the launch of a projectile, presumably a medium-range ballistic missile.
«As part of preparations for additional launches, our military has intensified monitoring and vigilance, closely exchanging information about the North Korean missile with the American and Japanese sides and maintaining full readiness», — the South Korean agency Yonhap quotes the military.
The launch occurred at a time when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Seoul for talks with his South Korean counterpart on measures to deter North Korean threats amid political upheaval in South Korea.
The last time Pyongyang launched several short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea was on November 5, on the eve of the U.S. presidential election.
At a party congress at the end of the year, North Korea stated that it would implement the «toughest» strategy against the United States, claiming that military cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan has turned into a «military bloc for aggression».