North Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea, 16th launch this year
North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Friday, October 3, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, marking Pyongyang's 16th such launch this year.
The missile was fired from the Wonsan area in Gangwon Province at around 6:30 am and flew more than 700 km before falling into the sea, the JCS said. South Korean and US forces are maintaining a combined defence posture and closely monitoring North Korea's movements, the JCS added, saying military readiness has been enhanced in anticipation of possible further launches. South Korea, the United States and Japan are coordinating and sharing information on the launch, officials said.
South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, convened an emergency security review meeting with the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff following the launch. The office said the government would use the occasion to reassess military readiness, particularly in light of a recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured South Korean soldiers. Condemning the launch, the office called repeated ballistic missile tests a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and "a grave act that is entirely unhelpful for managing the current situation," urging North Korea to halt them immediately.
Friday's launch comes 13 days after North Korea's previous ballistic missile test on September 20, and follows a string of similar launches throughout the year amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula, including the recent DMZ incident.
