North Korea launched a “suspected ballistic missile” into the East Sea on Sunday, according to Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office. South Korea’s military separately reported that Pyongyang had fired an unidentified projectile. The supplied reports did not provide further details about the missile’s trajectory or impact.
The launch came days after North Korea rejected a resolution adopted by the UN nuclear watchdog concerning its nuclear programme. A spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the resolution would have “no effect” on the country’s position as a nuclear weapons state.
The development also comes amid renewed discussion of possible engagement between North Korea and the United States. In August, Donald Trump said he intended to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later in the year, though he gave no details. The source described such a meeting as potentially their first since Trump’s first term in the White House.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that he was urging Trump to preserve dialogue with Pyongyang. Lee said Seoul was working to facilitate talks between North Korea and the United States, while acknowledging that the likelihood of a meeting could not be established with certainty.
Prospects for near-term talks were complicated by criticism from Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister, of recent military exercises involving the United States, South Korea and Japan. She described the drills as a “US-led war rehearsal.” Exercise Freedom Edge 26 concluded on 11 September, with US Pacific Command saying it had strengthened trilateral readiness across the Indo-Pacific.
Kim Yo Jong said North Korea’s determination to defend its sovereignty would be demonstrated through clearer action and that the country would continue intensifying its nuclear deterrence, according to a statement carried by North Korean state news agency KCNA.