North Korea conducted its second ballistic missile test this month on Tuesday, firing at least two projectiles toward the Sea of Japan, according to defense officials in Tokyo and Seoul.
The launch occurred just one day after senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby visited Seoul, where he praised South Korea as a “model ally” of the United States.
Japan’s coast guard, referencing the defense ministry, confirmed detection of two ballistic missiles heading toward the Sea of Japan. Japanese media outlet Jiji Press reported both projectiles fell outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, citing defense sources.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff similarly reported detecting several ballistic missiles launched northward toward what it calls the East Sea.
The test marks Pyongyang’s second this month, following an earlier barrage fired just hours before South Korea’s president departed for a summit in China.
In recent years, North Korea has dramatically accelerated its missile testing program. Analysts suggest these tests serve multiple purposes: refining precision strike capabilities, challenging both Washington and Seoul, and evaluating weapons systems before potential export to Russia, a key ally.
Colby, the Pentagon’s third-ranking official, visited Seoul on Monday to reinforce the decades-old security partnership between the two nations. The alliance, forged during the Korean War, is backed by 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the nuclear-armed North.
North Korea routinely condemns joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises as preparation for invasion. Last month, leader Kim Jong Un criticized Seoul’s collaboration with Washington to develop nuclear-powered submarines, labeling it a “threat” requiring a response.
Former President Donald Trump held three meetings with Kim during his first term, attempting to negotiate denuclearization. However, talks stalled after their 2019 Hanoi summit collapsed over disagreements about sanctions relief. Trump’s hopes for another meeting ahead of an October regional summit in South Korea went unanswered.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies.
North Korea is preparing to convene a major ruling party congress in the coming weeks—its first in five years. Ahead of the gathering, Kim has ordered expansion and modernization of the country’s missile production capabilities.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP the launch likely aims “to heighten tensions to reinforce internal discipline and consolidate regime unity” before the party congress. He added that the timing “may also be a response to Colby’s visit.”
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