North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan after lambasting Japan over its military build-up in the Pacific.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Thursday said that \u201cour military detected one short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea at around 5pm (6pm AEST)\u201d.<\/p>\n
It added that the missile was launched towards the Sea of Japan and that authorities in Seoul and Washington were analysing the missile\u2019s exact specifications.<\/p>\n
It comes after North Korean state media on Wednesday broadcast Kim Yo-Jong – the sister of leader Kim Jong-un – saying Pyongyang\u2019s \u201cleadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan\u2019s transformation\u201d.<\/p>\n
North Korea, which since 2019 has repeatedly declared itself an \u201cirreversible\u201d nuclear state, featured among growing regional threats in a recent Japanese government assessment.<\/p>\n
Tokyo\u2019s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said this week that Japan\u2019s military needs to be boosted with a \u201csense of urgency and crisis\u201d.<\/p>\n
The defence ministry declined to comment directly on Kim Yo Jong\u2019s Wednesday diatribe but said the country\u2019s defence capabilities \u201cremain bare minimum\u201d and \u201care not meant to threaten other countries\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tokyo raised its military expenditure by 9.7 per cent to $62.2 billion in 2025 – equivalent to 1.4 per cent of GDP, its highest share since 1958.<\/p>\n
Following the launch, Tokyo\u2019s defence ministry posted on X that \u201csomething that may be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea\u201d, later saying there was no impact \u201con the areas around Japan\u201d.<\/p>\n
Seoul has strengthened surveillance and maintained readiness for possible additional launches while sharing information with its security allies the United States and Japan.<\/p>\n
South Korea and the United States are expected to carry out their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, later this month.<\/p>\n
North Korea has always been infuriated by such joint drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion.<\/p>\n
Under the South Korea-US combined defence posture \u201cour military is maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation\u201d, Seoul\u2019s JCS said Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u2018New militarism\u2019 <\/p>\n
North Korea has deepened its economic and military ties with Russia, supplying troops and munitions for Moscow\u2019s war in Ukraine in exchange for financial support, food, energy and military technology, analysts say.<\/p>\n
Some experts said Thursday\u2019s launch could have been intended to test weapons before Kim Jong-un\u2019s expected visit to Russia this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore heading to Russia, Kim may have wanted to demonstrate that Pyongyang had already tested these missile systems and achieved satisfactory results,\u201d Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean-born researcher, told AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the trip materialises, Kim is very likely to showcase them to Russia or seek to export them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s defence ministry declined to comment directly on Kim Yo Jong\u2019s Wednesday diatribe but said the country\u2019s defence capabilities \u201cremain bare minimum\u201d and \u201care not meant to threaten other countries\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tokyo raised its military expenditure by 9.7 per cent to $62.2 billion in 2025 – equivalent to 1.4 per cent of GDP, its highest share since 1958.<\/p>\n
China, a key ally of North Korea, has also recently expressed alarm at what it sees as \u201cnew militarism\u201d by Japan.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s President Lee Jae Myung has reversed the stance of his predecessor since taking power in Seoul in June 2025, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions.<\/p>\n
The hermetic leadership of North Korea has yet to respond to his repeated offers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan after lambasting Japan over 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