Japan's defence ministry assessed the newly launched object to be a ballistic missile, mirroring alerts raised by military officials in South Korea. The test arrived less than a week after Seoul offered bilateral talks to ease border hostilities sparked by a landmine blast that wounded three soldiers. Tensions remain entrenched after Kim Yo Jong condemned South Korea's demand for an apology as despicable and rejected medical aid. The launch also follows earlier weapons tests triggered by American diplomatic overtures that unsettled Seoul.
Key points
Diplomatic outreach from Seoul continues to face direct rejection and military defiance f…: Diplomatic outreach from Seoul continues to face direct rejection and military defiance from Pyongyang.
Sustained missile activity compounds friction originating from a Demilitarised Zone explo…: Sustained missile activity compounds friction originating from a Demilitarised Zone explosion that injured three soldiers.
Recent overtures between Washington and Pyongyang have intensified South Korean fears of…: Recent overtures between Washington and Pyongyang have intensified South Korean fears of diplomatic marginalization.
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SEOUL: North Korea fired an unknown projectile off its east coast on Thursday (Oct 29), Seoul's defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row.
Japan's defence ministry separately confirmed the launch of what it said "appears to be a ballistic missile".
"The North fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea," South Korea's military said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
Thursday's launch comes against the backdrop of growing tensions over a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas that saw three South Korean soldiers wounded.
A joint Seoul-UN investigation earlier this month concluded that North Korea had planted the landmines that exploded in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) more than a year ago, something Pyongyang has angrily denied.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has blasted South Korean demands for an apology as "despicable" while separately rejecting an offer of medical equipment from Seoul.
The ratcheting tensions come as US President Donald Trump's…
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