North Korea tests short-range ballistic missile

North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the waters off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea this year.

The military detected the launch from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area around 5 pm, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said South Korea’s military has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the US and Japan.

Japan’s Defence Ministry also said that North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile but there was no impact in or around Japan.

North Korea has been focusing on enlarging its nuclear and missile arsenals since leader Kim Jong Un’s high-stakes diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.

Experts say the North Korean leader wants international recognition as a nuclear state so that he can demand the lifting of international economic sanctions on North Korea. Last month, Kim supervised tests of a nuclear-capable cruise missile and other weapons aboard a new 5,000-tonne destroyer. After years of prioritising ballistic missile development, Kim has increasingly turned his focus to naval capabilities, including the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. While outlining his five-year military goals at the Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim also called for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches.