North Korea Launches Suspected Long-Range Missile in Response to South Korea’s Military Exercises with the United States

On Saturday, South Korea’s military reported that North Korea had launched a suspected long-range missile from its capital city of Pyongyang. The missile was fired at around 5:22 p.m. from Sunan, the site of Pyongyang’s international airport, where the North has conducted most of its intercontinental ballistic missile tests in recent years.

The launch comes a day after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry threatened “unprecedently” strong action against its rivals, after South Korea announced a series of planned military exercises with the United States. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch, calling it “an outrageous act that is escalating provocations against the international community as a whole.”

South Korea’s military is currently assessing the launch and has yet to confirm the type of missile fired. However, they have stated that the missile flew eastward for about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in the sea.

The launch is the latest in a series of missile tests conducted by North Korea in recent months. It is unclear what the purpose of the launch was, but it is likely that it was a show of force in response to South Korea’s planned military exercises with the United States.