North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on the afternoon of November 7. The projectile traveled approximately 700 kilometers (about 435 miles) before splashing down.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported detecting a single object, believed to be a short-range ballistic missile, fired from North Korea’s North Pyongan Province towards the East Sea at around 12:35 p.m.
Military sources and Japan’s NHK report that the missile flew about 700 kilometers (about 435 miles) before landing outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). South Korean and U.S. officials are conducting a detailed analysis to determine its exact specifications.
The JCS stated that U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies had been monitoring North Korea’s missile launch preparations and tracked the launch immediately after it occurred. They added that the forces have heightened surveillance and alert levels in anticipation of further launches, maintaining close coordination with the U.S. and Japan.
This marks the second ballistic missile or suspected ballistic object launch since President Lee Jae Myung took office. The first occurred on October 22, when North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), likely from the Hwasong-11 series, northeast from North Hwanghae Province. North Korean state media later claimed these were hypersonic vehicles.
North Korea has continued its provocative missile tests over the past two weeks. Just before President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea on October 28, Pyongyang test-fired a surface-to-surface strategic cruise missile in the Yellow Sea. On November 1, minutes after Presidents Lee and Xi Jinping began their summit in Gyeongju, North Korea launched multiple rockets from the northern Yellow Sea.
On the afternoon of November 3, around 4:00 p.m., North Korea fired several rockets from multiple launch rocket systems into the northern Yellow Sea. This occurred as U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-back were preparing for their first meeting in eight years at the Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom during the 57th South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).
These recent missile launches may serve to validate the performance of new ballistic missiles unveiled around the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party on October 10, or they could represent the final phase of testing for this year’s defense capability assessment.
Some analysts suggest this military provocation is North Korea’s way of expressing discontent following recent unilateral U.S. sanctions.
On November 4, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned eight North Korean individuals and two entities for their involvement in cybercrime and money laundering activities.
In response, on November 6, Kim Eun-cheol, North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister for U.S. Affairs, declared that the U.S. has revealed its true malicious nature and intent to remain hostile. He added that since the current U.S. administration has made clear its intention to maintain hostility towards them, it will respond accordingly with unwavering patience for as long as necessary.