Key takeaways
- North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan on 29 October, flying about 250 km, according to South Korea's military.
- Pyongyang has not publicly answered Seoul's 23 October offer of military talks and has not explained the launch.
- Experts cited by Reuters and AP see a wider show of force and pressure on Washington.
North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles from the area around Wonsan, on its east coast, toward the East Sea (known in Japan as the Sea of Japan). The launch came at about 12:30 p.m. local time (0330 GMT) on Thursday, 29 October, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The JCS said the missiles flew about 250 km (155 miles), Yonhap News Agency and KBS reported. Japan's Defense Ministry said the object could be a ballistic missile and was believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Accounts of the count differ. Reuters and NBC reported around 10 missiles, while Yonhap, South Korea's news agency, reported about a dozen. AeroTime reported that in an updated notice the JCS described the salvo as short-range ballistic missiles and others. The JCS said South Korea and the United States tracked the launch from its preparation stage and shared the data with Japan. It said analysis of the other specifications was under way with the US.
Seoul and Tokyo respond
The JCS said it was strengthening surveillance and vigilance against further launches, while South Korea, the United States and Japan maintain a full readiness posture and share information closely on the North's ballistic missiles, according to Yonhap and KBS. The presidential National Security Office at Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential compound in Seoul, held an emergency meeting with defence ministry and JCS officials. It urged North Korea to halt immediately. Reuters, quoting a presidential statement, reported that it called the repeated launches a "serious violation" of UN Security Council resolutions.
In Tokyo, AeroTime reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered ministries to gather information, confirm the safety of aircraft and ships, and prepare for contingencies. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told his ministry to coordinate with Washington and Seoul. No entry into Japanese territory or the EEZ was confirmed, and no damage to aircraft or ships was reported.
The launch followed a South Korean offer. On 23 October, Seoul's defence ministry proposed military talks to verify the Military Demarcation Line, restore communication lines and prevent accidental border clashes. Pyongyang had not publicly responded. Yonhap described the salvo as "an apparent cold rebuff" to Seoul's offer. Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University, told Reuters it is "difficult to say the border situation directly prompted the missile launch." North Korea has not explained the launch.
Observers are reading: Why the salvo may be aimed at Washington, Tokyo and Beijing rather than Seoul, and where the border risks lie.
Become an Observer, it's free. Get full access to all Crisis.Zone analysis, briefings and breaking coverage.
What to watch
Kim Yo Jong had earlier said broadcasts would run along the entire border by the end of October. Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University said Pyongyang seems to be preparing everything and watching how Seoul responds, rather than making a firm decision to broadcast. Seoul's defence ministry said it was still awaiting a reply to its two proposals for military talks, Reuters reported.
The hardware is also unresolved. A South Korean military official told Yonhap the launch is believed to have involved the KN-25 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, which Pyongyang claims can be fitted with Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warheads. The official also said the North may have conducted a "mixed-salvo" drill combining ballistic missiles with cruise missiles, drones or rocket artillery, according to the South Korean military. Both remain military assessments. The final count, the specifications and any further launches are still being assessed.
Become an Observer (it's free) to unlock direct links to all sources used in this article.
We believe you deserve to verify everything we write. That's why we meticulously document every source.
