Asia: North Korea launches ballistic missile

North Korea fired a short-range missile into the sea from its west coast on Thursday, just days before joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, the South Korean military said.

The launch from the port city of Nampo was detected at 10:20 a.m., South Korean civil servants said. “Our military is ready for anything and closely cooperating with the US, we have stepped up our surveillance and vigilance,” he added.

US and South Korean forces are set to begin their largest joint military exercise in five years on March 13, dubbed the “Ulchi Freedom Shield.” Washington and Seoul say they are self-defense drills, but Pyongyang sees them as a dress rehearsal for an invasion of its territory or the overthrow of its regime.

In late February, North Korea announced that it had fired cruise missiles in response to the escalation of US-South Korean military exercises, which it deemed a “declaration of war”.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at a low ebb for years, with talks at a standstill. In 2022, the North called its nuclear status “irreversible” and conducted a series of ballistic and missile tests in defiance of UN resolutions.