North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile on Friday morning toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan confirmed, marking Pyongyang’s latest provocation amid renewed diplomatic overtures from Washington.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile was fired from North Korea’s northwestern region, near the border with China, at around 10 a.m. local time. It reportedly traveled about 700 kilometers (435 miles) before falling into the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The launch was detected and closely monitored by South Korean and U.S. surveillance systems, which tracked the missile’s trajectory and immediately shared the information with Japan.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the launch, saying that no debris had entered Japanese territory and there were no reports of damage to ships or aircraft. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi assured citizens that the government was maintaining full vigilance, calling the incident “a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
The launch comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his willingness to hold direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. During his visit to Seoul last week, Trump told reporters that he was open to “returning to the region for another meeting” with Kim if Pyongyang showed seriousness about dialogue. No such meeting materialized, and Kim has so far remained silent on Trump’s latest invitation.
The North Korean missile test, however, appeared to be a pointed message amid growing tension. Analysts said the timing — immediately following Trump’s remarks — suggests Pyongyang intends to maintain pressure on Washington while showcasing its missile capabilities.
Trump and Kim last met in 2019 at the Panmunjom truce village along the inter-Korean border, in what was then a historic but ultimately fruitless attempt to revive denuclearization talks. Since then, negotiations have stalled, and North Korea has continued to advance its weapons program despite international sanctions.
On Thursday, Pyongyang’s foreign ministry accused the United States of “antagonizing the DPRK” after Washington imposed new sanctions targeting North Korean officials and financial institutions accused of money laundering. The ministry vowed a “resolute counteraction,” though it did not specify what measures would follow.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited South Korea earlier this week, reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to its defense alliance with Seoul. He stressed that American forces stationed in the region would continue to focus on deterring North Korean aggression while remaining adaptable to other regional threats.
Friday’s missile test is the latest in a string of launches over the past month. North Korea recently claimed to have tested new short-range and sea-based cruise missiles, including a so-called hypersonic missile, in what analysts see as efforts to refine its strike capability and demonstrate technological progress to both domestic and international audiences.
While Pyongyang continues to insist that its weapons program is a legitimate response to “hostile” U.S. policies, the repeated tests risk heightening tensions across Northeast Asia. South Korean defense officials said they are closely coordinating with the United States and Japan to analyze the launch data and determine the type of missile used.
For now, the test underscores a familiar pattern: North Korea flexing its military muscle just as diplomatic channels show faint signs of reopening, keeping the region on edge and ensuring that Kim Jong Un remains a central player in the Indo-Pacific strategic equation.
