Seoul says North Korea fires missile toward the North's eastern waters

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the North’s east coast Monday morning, the South Korean military said, days after the end of the South Korean-US military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff gave no further details, such as how far the weapon flew.

Japan’s Defence Ministry said it also detected a missile launch by North Korea, and the Japanese coast guard said a suspected North Korean missile landed in the ocean.

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It’s the North’s first known missile test since it carried out cruise missile launches in mid-February.

During the South Korea-US military drills that ended on Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided a series of military training exercises involving tanks, artillery guns and paratroopers.

But the North didn’t perform any missile tests during its rivals’ training.

The 11-day South Korean-US drills involved a computer-simulated command post training and 48 kinds of field exercises, twice the number conducted last year.

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Animosities on the Korean Peninsula remain high in the wake of North Korea’s barrage of missile tests since 2022. Many of the tests involved nuclear-capable missiles designed to attack South Korea and the mainland US.

This year, North Korea performed six rounds of missile tests before Monday's launch. The US and South Korean forces have responded by expanding their training exercises.

Experts say North Korea likely believes a bigger weapons arsenal would increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the United States. They say North Korea would want to win extensive sanctions relief while maintaining its nuclear weapons.