Overview
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs said the missile was launched around 12:35 p.m. local time from near Taegwan north of Pyongyang, flew about 700 kilometers, and fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone with no reported damage.
- Seoul provisionally assessed the weapon as a short-range ballistic missile, with the exact type still under analysis as South Korea, the United States, and Japan share tracking data.
- Japan condemned the test, convened a National Security Council meeting, and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pressed to accelerate military modernization while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reported no casualties.
- The Kremlin defended Pyongyang’s move, with spokesman Dmitri Peskov saying Russia respects North Korea’s right to ensure its security.
- North Korea’s defense minister later warned of “more offensive” actions, while U.S. Indo-Pacific Command called the launch destabilizing but assessed no immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory.