North Korea launches ballistic missile into East Sea

South Korea’s military reported that North Korea once again launched a ballistic missile into the sea. The launch this week was the latest in multiple missile and artillery firings by Pyongyang.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday that it detected a launch of a short-range ballistic missile from Sukchon in North Korea’s South Pyongan province. The rocket was fired toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. The missile flew at a distance of around 290 kilometers at an altitude of 30 kilometers and at a speed of Mach 6.

The Japanese Kyodo news outlet said that the missile landed outside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, extending 200 nautical miles or 370 kilometers from the country’s coastline. The Japanese Coast Guard also tracked the missile, saying that it appeared to have fallen into the sea minutes after the launch was first reported.

Wednesday’s launch follows the multiple rocket launches by Pyongyang last week, marking a record number of launches so far this year. The latest launch also comes amidst growing concern that North Korea is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.

The missile launch also comes amidst the midterm elections in the United States that would determine whether US President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party maintains control of both chambers of Congress or whether the Republican Party gains the majority in either the House or the Senate.

Earlier on the same day, Seoul said it identified debris from a previous North Korean missile launch as part of a Soviet-era SA-5 surface-to-air missile. A South Korean naval ship retrieved the debris with an underwater probe. The missile hit South Korean waters for the first time.

The North Korean military said it was simulating attacks on South Korea and the United States, as Pyongyang has protested against the allies’ military drills.

North Korea has also come under added scrutiny following allegations that it was supplying Russia with weapons to be used in Ukraine. Arms sales would signal deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, and Pyongyang has dismissed the claims, saying that it has no plans to ship weapons to Russia.