North Korea fires unspecified ballistic missile toward East Sea

An intermediate-range ballistic missile is fired from an unspecified location in North Korea on Jan. 15, 2024, in this photo published by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. [YONHAP]

North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea Monday morning, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The JCS announced that it detected the launch through a text message sent to reporters, but did not specify the type of missile or the speed of the launch.

The Japanese coast guard said the same day that a suspected North Korean ballistic missile landed in the ocean.

This is Pyongyang’s second ballistic missile launch this year since the first on Jan. 14.

North Korea has conducted five rounds of cruise missile tests just this year, with the most recent such test taking place on Feb. 14.

The ballistic missile launch Monday comes as South Korea and the United States finished the annual Freedom Shield exercise, and as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul on Sunday to attend the third Summit for Democracy that kicks off Monday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]