North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile into sea

North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea, according to its neighbours’ militaries.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Saturday it detected a single launch of a presumed ballistic missile from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang toward the country’s eastern waters, but it did not immediately say how far the weapon flew.

Japan’s Defence Ministry also assessed the weapon as possibly ballistic.

South Korea’s presidential office said national security adviser Suh Hoon will preside over an emergency National Security Council meeting to discuss the launch. There was no immediate comment about the launch by the US government or military.

It was North Korea’s ninth round of weapons launches in 2022 as it continues to use a pause in diplomacy to expand its military capabilities while attempting to pressure the Biden administration for concessions.

The latest launch came about a week after South Korea and Japan said they detected the North firing a ballistic missile on Sunday that flew about 190 miles at a maximum altitude of about 370 miles.

The North later said that launch was designed to test a camera system it plans to install on a spy satellite that is under development.

The North’s other tests this year included a purported hypersonic missile and its first launch since 2017 of an intermediate range missile potentially capable of reaching Guam, a major US military hub in the Pacific.

Analysts say North Korea could up the ante in coming months and possibly resume its testing of major weapons like intercontinental ballistic missiles as it tries to move the needle with Washington, which is now preoccupied with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and regional competition with China.