North Korea launched around 10 or more short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area at approximately 5 p.m. KST on Thursday, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan's defense ministry. The missiles flew about 300 kilometers before splashing down in the Sea of Japan.
The launches coincided with large-scale joint US-ROK military exercises — a provocation that comes amid a series of statements from Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong condemning Seoul and Washington, as well as President Donald Trump's requests to meet the North Korean leader.
The timing was particularly notable because it came as China's foreign minister Wang Yi held a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, adding a diplomatic dimension to the provocation.
It was the third ballistic missile test this month from North Korea, which has been intensifying its missile testing schedule ahead of the annual US-ROK combined military exercises. The launches followed warnings from Pyongyang of "new level" measures in response to the drills.
Japanese authorities first detected the launches through the coast guard at 5:08 p.m. local time, issuing an alert to vessels in the area. South Korea's military confirmed the detection and said it was working with US forces to analyze the launches.
The provocation highlights the increasingly complex diplomatic landscape in Northeast Asia, with China, the US, South Korea, and North Korea all engaged in overlapping diplomatic and military activities simultaneously.
