North Korea reportedly launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Monday, according to South Korean military officials. The rocket launch appears to be the latest geopolitical agitation by the communist country and comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul, South Korea.
The missile was fired around noon local time and traveled nearly 700 miles before falling into the sea between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, according to multiple reports. It was the country’s first ballistic missile launch since Nov. 5, shortly before the U.S. presidential election began.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched at a site near Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital city. No damage was reported. The JCS strongly condemned the missile launch and claimed it was a “clear act of provocation.” They also announced it was strengthening surveillance on the country in anticipation of possible future missile launches, BBC reported.
Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani also rebuked North Korea’s missile launch and called it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
During a press conference in Indonesia, Nakatani announced his country had filed a “stern protest with Pyongyang over the missile test,” Kyodo News reported. He also said the communist country’s rogue behavior was a direct threat to “the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community.”
Blinken spoke at a news conference hours after the launch and denounced the launch as “yet another violation of multiple Security Council resolutions,” ABC News reported. He also said the Biden administration has repeatedly sought to engage North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in talks but to no avail.
“We communicated that on many occasions. We’ve done it privately, we’ve done it publicly,” Blinken said in Seoul. “And the only response, effectively we’ve gotten has been more and more provocative actions, including missile launches.”
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The secretary of state also warned of North Korea’s military alliance with Russia and the future challenges it could cause, from the current war in Ukraine to evolving space technology and pursuits. He stressed the importance of strategic cooperation between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, explicitly citing data sharing on missile launches and conducting joint military exercises, the Associated Press reported.
“Today’s launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our collaborative work is,” Blinken said.
