North Korea fires second missile in a week ahead of South Korea-US drills

North Korea fired another ballistic missile as South Korea and the United States prepared joint drills. The launch renewed regional alarm over Pyongyang's pattern of protesting allied exercises with weapons tests.

In Short

• Missile was launched from Wonsan and travelled more than 700 km
• Seoul and Tokyo tracked the launch, but Japan faced no impact
• Ulchi Freedom Shield drills will begin on August 17 amid tensions

North Korea on Wednesday carried out its second ballistic missile test in less than a week, according to South Korea and Japan, in a move seen as a likely protest against upcoming South Korea-US military drills that Pyongyang describes as a rehearsal for invasion.

The launch came two days after Seoul and Washington said they would begin their annual large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises on August 17 to strengthen readiness against North Korean threats. Multiple UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from launching ballistic missiles, but Pyongyang has continued to expand its missile and nuclear programmes.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said a ballistic missile was fired from the eastern coastal area of Wonsan at about 6 am and flew more than 700 km. It said South Korea remained ready to repel any provocation by North Korea in coordination with the United States. South Korea's presidential National Security Council also urged the North to stop ballistic missile launches, calling them "acts of provocation" that defy UN Security Council resolutions.

Japan's Defence Ministry said it had also detected what it believed was a ballistic missile launch from North Korea. It said the weapon was not seen reaching Japan's exclusive economic zone, suggesting it fell farther away from the Japanese coast.

North Korea has often reacted to Ulchi Freedom Shield and other major South Korea-US military exercises with weapons tests and strong statements, while Seoul and Washington have repeatedly said the drills are defensive. After last year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the drills showed the US and South Korea's "will to ignite a war" and claimed they had become more provocative than before, prompting North Korea to take "proactive and overwhelming" countermeasures.

On August 6, South Korea, the US and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea in what was its first ballistic weapons test since late June. North Korea did not confirm that reported launch, though it usually releases details of weapons tests a day later. The country has increased ballistic and other weapons testing since Kim's high-stakes diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim is likely trying to use his expanded arsenal to win concessions from the US, including relief from international economic sanctions. In recent years, Kim has also widened North Korea's diplomatic outreach by deepening ties with Russia, including supplying troops and ammunition for its war in Ukraine, and by taking steps to strengthen relations with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June for the first time in seven years.

Wednesday's launch, the second in under a week, came as South Korea and the US prepared for fresh joint military drills, underlining a familiar pattern of North Korean missile activity, regional condemnation and renewed focus on Pyongyang's growing weapons programme.

With PTI Inputs

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