North Korea fired what could be a ballistic missile, 12th this year

North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile off its east coast, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement.

The launch was also reported by Japan’s military, barely a month after North Korea’s last launch and is its twelfth such launch this year. The missile was still flying, according to a Japanese Defence Ministry official quoted by NHK.

“North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the Sea of Japan.

The launch comes after North Korea made heated complaints over US military activities, accusing American spy planes of violating airspace. Pyongyang also condemned a recent visit to South Korea by an American nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine.

A spokesperson for the North’s Ministry of National Defence said the United States had “intensified espionage activities beyond the wartime level”, citing “provocative” flights made by US spy aircraft over eight straight days this month and one reconnaissance plane that intruded into its airspace over the East Sea “several times”.

“There is no guarantee that such shocking accident as downing of the US Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen in the East Sea of Korea,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

In 2023, North Korea has test fired its first ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and conducted a failed attempt to launch its first-ever spy satellite on a new launch vehicle.