North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile from the Wonsan area into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, in the first such launch in over 40 days and days after Kim Yo Jong warned of additional military options over Japan's weapons buildup.
The projectile, detected at around 5:00 pm local time, landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone with no damage to vessels reported, Tokyo's defence ministry said. It is Pyongyang's sixth ballistic launch this year. The test comes ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises between South Korea and the United States scheduled for August.
Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo must strengthen its defence capabilities with a sense of urgency. Japan this year raised military spending by 9.7 percent to $62.2 billion, the highest share of GDP since 1958. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in office since June 2025, has offered Pyongyang unconditional talks.