South Korea: Pyongyang fired unspecified ballistic missile

SEOUL: North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, the South Korean military said on Thursday.

The rocket flew about 240 kilometres towards the open sea, reported Yonhap, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shortly before, South Korea had staged a “pre-planned” naval missile defence exercise with the United States, Yonhap reported.

The South Korean general staff accused the largely isolated neighbouring country of a “provocation.” UN resolutions prohibit the self-declared nuclear power from testing ballistic missiles. Depending on the design, these can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui warned on Thursday that Pyongyang will take “fiercer” military actions if the United States sticks to its campaign of strengthening what it calls extended deterrence to its regional allies. In a statement, Choe Son-hui took issue with an agreement of the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan earlier this week to bolster extended deterrence capabilities, which refer to Washington’s readiness to provide Seoul with all necessary options, both nuclear and conventional, to deter aggression or provocation by its North Korean neighbour.