North Korea Launches Ballistic missile Following security Talks
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that North Korea fired at least one short-range ballistic missile towards its eastern waters on Friday. The missile travelled approximately 700km (435 miles) in the direction of the East Sea,also known as the sea of Japan.
The launch occurred just days after United States Defense secretary Pete Hegseth concluded annual security talks in South Korea. Japan’s government also detected the launch and indicated the missile likely landed outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
This latest action follows a series of recent events, including Pyongyang firing ten rounds of artillery into western waters four days prior.It also comes approximately a week after the United States granted South Korea permission to build a nuclear-powered submarine – a move expected to significantly bolster south Korea’s naval defense capabilities. Seoul is seeking enriched uranium from the US to fuel the domestically-built submarine.
Despite efforts by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump to re-establish dialogue with North Korean leader Kim jong Un, Kim has remained unresponsive to talks since the collapse of previous US-North Korea negotiations in 2019. Kim has stated his willingness to consider talks only if the US abandons demands for the denuclearization of North korea, repeatedly asserting his country’s status as a “irreversible” nuclear state.
Recent developments also point to strengthening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, reported a meeting between Pak Yong Il, a North Korean military official, and a Russian delegation led by vice Defense minister Viktor Goremykin on Wednesday. Discussions focused on expanding ties following agreements made between Kim Jong Un and russian President Vladimir Putin.
South Korea’s intelligence agency has also detected potential recruitment and training activities within North Korea,suggesting a possible increase in troop deployments to Russia. Seoul estimates that Pyongyang has already sent approximately 15,000 soldiers to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, with a critically important number reportedly suffering casualties. Additionally, around 5,000 North Korean military construction troops have been dispatched to Russia since September to assist with infrastructure restoration projects.
