ALBAWABA - A South Korean military source said that North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile into the sea off Seoul's east coast on Monday.
"North Korea has fired an unidentified missile into the East Sea," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Prior to the South Korean reports, the Japanese Defense Ministry took to X (formerly Twitter) to state that a "suspected ballistic missile" had been launched from the N.Korean side.
Shortly after the first alert, Japan's coast guard, quoting the defense ministry, reported that the missile looked to have already fallen.
According to Japanese media, including public broadcaster NHK, the alleged missile fell outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, citing unnamed government sources.
North Korea tested a "super-large warhead" meant for a strategic cruise missile on Friday, according to state media, while Seoul's military confirmed that cruise missile launches were detected at the same time.
Unlike its ballistic counterparts, cruise missile testing is not prohibited by existing UN sanctions on North Korea.
Seoul-based specialist site NK News said that the "brief flight time, likely under ten minutes, points to the launch involving a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) or 600mm multiple launch rocket system (MLRS)".
Pyongyang labeled South Korea its "principal enemy" this year, shut down reunification and outreach organizations, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial incursion.
Last year, the North conducted a record number of missile launches, defying UN sanctions imposed in 2006 and despite warnings from Washington and Seoul.
