North Korea launches ‘unspecified ballistic missile’ towards East Sea, confirms South Korea

North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile towards the East Sea in the early hours of December 18, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military. This came just hours after Pyongyang launched a short-range missile, amid speculation that the latest one could be an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“North Korea has launched a suspected ballistic missile. More updates to follow,” posted the PM’s Office of Japan on X.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch but did not give further details.

Earlier on December 17, North Korea fired a short-range missile from in or around Pyongyang at 10:38 pm (local time), and it flew about 570 kilometres before splashing into the East Sea, according to the JCS.

Notably, this back-to-back missile launch came after South Korea’s First Deputy National Security Adviser, Kim Tae-hyo, said a few days earlier that the North could fire an ICBM within this month.

The firings also came days after South Korea and the US held the second session of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and agreed to complete the establishment of guidelines on the planning and operation of a shared nuclear strategy by the middle of next year, Yonhap news agency reported.

Just after Sunday’s launch, the North’s defence ministry lambasted the NCG meeting as “an open declaration on nuclear confrontation” and criticised the US deployment of major military assets to the Korean Peninsula this year.

North Korea’s latest missile launch came amid heightened tensions after Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement designed to reduce tensions and prevent accidental clashes along the border last month.

Seoul had partially suspended the deal in protest of Pyongyang’s successful launch of its first military spy satellite on November 21.

North Korea had last fired a ballistic missile on November 22, but the launch apparently failed, according to the JCS, Yonhap news agency reported.

(with inputs from ANI)