North Korea launches ballistic missile towards sea, Seoul says

North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said on Saturday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from the port city of Wonsan and travelled more than 700 kilometres. Seoul’s presidential national security office convened an emergency meeting to assess the launch.

The South Korean military raised its alert for possible further launches and said it would share information with the United States and Japan. Japan also issued an emergency warning, saying North Korea had launched a suspected ballistic missile. US Pacific Command said it was aware of the launch and was consulting with allies and partners.

It said its initial assessment was that the event posed no immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to its allies. The launch followed criticism from Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, of South Korean demands that Pyongyang apologise over landmine explosions. South Korea and the United Nations Command have said mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the blasts, which seriously injured three South Korean soldiers.

Seoul has also urged North Korea to stop fortifying the border with mines and anti-tank barriers. Kim Yo Jong dismissed those demands and said North Korea intended to permanently sever ties with the South. The launch was the latest in a series of military activities by North Korea, including tests of a purported hypersonic missile system, live-fire exercises and the commissioning of a new warship.