North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan just days before US military drills and a visit by Vice President Kamala Harris to the region amid regional tensions, South Korea and Japan’s leadership have said.
South Korea’s military have claimed North Korea fired a single, short-range ballistic missile fired from near the Taechon area of North Pyongyan Province just before 7am.
Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has dialed up its testing activities to a record pace – testing more than 30 ballistic weapons, including its first intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017 – as it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a prolonged stalemate in nuclear diplomacy.
The launch came as the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group arrived in South Korea for the two countries’ joint military exercise to meant to show their strength against growing North Korean threats.
It comes just days before a planned visit by…
