The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that North Korea launched ballistic missiles into the East Sea on the morning of January 4.
This marks North Korea’s first ballistic missile test in approximately two months, following their last launch on November 7. The provocative act coincides with President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
Military officials stated that North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles from the vicinity of Pyongyang towards the East Sea at around 7:50 a.m. local time. The armed forces are currently analyzing the specifics of the launch, including the types of missiles used.
A spokesperson for the JCS announced that the military has heightened surveillance and alert levels in anticipation of potential further launches from North Korea. They added that it is maintaining a state of full readiness while closely coordinating intelligence with the U.S. and Japanese allies.
Presidents Lee and Xi are scheduled to hold a summit on Monday to discuss Korean Peninsula issues, with denuclearization high on the agenda. The South Korean government plans to urge China to play a more active role in bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table. Today’s missile launch by North Korea may be interpreted as a show of defiance or dissatisfaction with these diplomatic efforts.
This latest provocation also follows President Donald Trump’s announcement of a military operation to remove Venezuela’s anti-American President Nicolás Maduro and transport him to the U.S. North Korea and Venezuela share an anti-U.S. stance in their foreign policies.
In a related development, Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported that at approximately 8:12 a.m., a projectile believed to be a North Korean ballistic missile appeared to have landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Given that medium- and long-range missiles typically have flight times exceeding 30 to 40 minutes, experts suggest that the missiles launched by North Korea were likely short-range variants.