World

North Korea fires ballistic missile off east coast

By AAP Newswire

Sep 12, 2024

A North Korean missile launch — North Korea has launched a ballistic missile, according to South Korea (file photo). -AP

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, Japan and South Korea say.

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Japan's Coast Guard reported the missile had already fallen.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that the launch took place on Thursday morning but gave no further details.

The launch, the North's first weapons firing in more than two months, came three days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to vowed to redouble efforts to make his nuclear force fully ready for combat with the United States and its allies.

Kim made such a pledge saying North Korea faces "a grave threat" because of what he called "the reckless expansion" of a US-led regional military bloc that is now developing into a nuclear-based one.

North Korea last fired a missile on July 1, but has been sending balloons carrying rubbish across the border into the south over the last few days.

Since 2022, North Korea has significantly accelerated its weapons testing activities in a bid to perfect its capabilities to launch strikes on the US and South Korea.Â

The US and South Korea have responded by expanding military drills that North Korea calls invasion rehearsals.

with AP