SEOUL — North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, in a launch detected from the country’s east coast amid heightened attention to Pyongyang’s weapons development.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area and flew toward the East Sea, the name used by South Korea for the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The JCS said it was maintaining surveillance of North Korean military activity and coordinating with the United States.
Japan’s Defense Ministry separately said the projectile was believed to have been a ballistic missile and that it fell into the sea. Japanese authorities were analyzing the launch to determine its precise characteristics and flight path.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the launch.
The latest firing comes as South Korea, the United States and Japan continue to monitor North Korea’s expanding missile program. Pyongyang has carried out repeated ballistic missile tests this year, including short-range launches that South Korean and Japanese authorities have tracked toward waters east of the Korean Peninsula.
Ballistic missile launches by North Korea are prohibited under United Nations Security Council resolutions, which ban Pyongyang from developing and testing ballistic missile technology.
The launches have also regularly drawn criticism from Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, which maintain that their military cooperation is defensive. North Korea has historically condemned joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises as preparations for an invasion and has used missile tests to demonstrate its military capabilities.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were continuing to analyze the latest launch, including its exact type and performance, officials said.
North Korea has continued to develop increasingly sophisticated short-range ballistic missiles capable of maneuvering during flight, according to assessments by regional defense authorities. Japan’s Defense Ministry has said Pyongyang’s missile development remains a serious security concern because some of its ballistic missiles can reach Japanese territory.
The latest launch did not prompt an immediate report of a missile entering Japanese territorial waters or its exclusive economic zone.
South Korea’s military said it remained on heightened surveillance and readiness while continuing to coordinate with Washington and Tokyo.
