North Korea drew attention on November 8 by not reporting on the missile it launched the previous day. However, Defense Minister No Kwang-chol’s criticism of U.S.-South Korea joint exercises suggests the missile launch was a response to these drills.
As of the morning of November 8, North Korean state media, including the ruling party’s newspaper Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency, had not reported on the ballistic missile launched the day before.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff had previously announced the detection of a projectile, believed to be a short-range ballistic missile, launched from North Pyongan Province around 12:35 p.m. the previous day. The missile reportedly flew approximately 700 km (about 435 miles). This marked the second launch of a ballistic missile or suspected ballistic projectile since President Lee Jae Myung took office.
The first launch occurred on October 22, when North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), presumed to be the Hwasong-11 series, from North Hwanghae Province. On October 23, North Korea announced through state media that it had successfully tested a new important weapon system, claiming the missile was a hypersonic vehicle.
North Korea often launches ballistic missiles without public announcements, which could be due to various reasons such as routine training or unsuccessful tests. Some analysts suggest that the recent launch might have been a performance verification of a new ballistic missile unveiled around the 80th anniversary of the party’s founding or a final evaluation of this year’s defense capabilities.
On the day of the launch, North Korean media made no mention of the ballistic missile test. Instead, they only published Defense Minister No’s statement through the Korean Central News Agency. No condemned recent U.S.-South Korea military activities, including the Freedom Flag air exercise from November 3 to 7, the USS George Washington’s port call in Busan, the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), and the visit to the Joint Security Area (JSA). He emphasized that North Korea would respond more aggressively to perceived threats.
No stated that they have no other choice, asserting that North Korea fully understands America’s hostile intentions and will not hesitate to respond. He warned that any threat to North Korea’s security would be targeted and managed as necessary, adding that they are prepared to respond to everything.
Analysts interpret No’s statement as an expression of dissatisfaction with U.S.-South Korea joint military activities and an attempt to justify potential future nuclear missile provocations.
Yang Mu-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, commented that the recent ballistic missile launch appears to be a retaliatory display of power against the USS George Washington’s presence near the Korean Peninsula. He noted that North Korea has chosen a strong against strong strategy, indicating that while it’s ignoring South Korea, it’s closely monitoring U.S. actions.
In a related development, North Korea tested a ship-to-surface strategic cruise missile in the West Sea on October 28, just before U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit. North Korea announced this launch through state media the following day.
However, North Korean media did not report on multiple rocket launches from the northern West Sea on November 1, which occurred around 3:00 p.m. while President Lee was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Gyeongju, or on similar launches on November 3 around 4:00 p.m. during the U.S.-South Korea defense ministers’ meeting.