North Korea fires ballistic missile toward sea, says Seoul

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the North's eastern waters, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.

"It is believed the North Korea ballistic missile is a long-range ballistic missile fired at a high angle," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The reported launch came a day after South Korea's military intelligence agency told lawmakers that North Korea has likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test. The intelligence said the North was close to testing a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.

The Japanese Coast Guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. The Japanese government said the missile was expected to land at around 2336 GMT, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of its Okushiri Island.

North Korea ramps up weapons program

Since 2022,  Pyongyang has sharply increased the pace of its weapons tests.

In September 2023, North Korea enshrined nuclear weapons in its constitution, with the motion unanimously rubber-stamped in parliament.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said at the time it was "very important" to "accelerate the modernization of nuclear weapons in order to hold the definite edge of strategic deterrence."

Last month, North Korea said Kim had supervised the testing of two different missiles, including one that would carry a "super-large conventional warhead."

The other missile tested was referred to as a "strategic" cruise missile, indicating that it could have been testing nuclear capacity.

US and South Korea wary of North Korean troops in Russia

Thursday's development came just a few hours after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin alleged that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment, were en route to the Russian region of Kursk, near Ukraine.

Speaking alongside South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Austin said "the likelihood is pretty high" that Moscow will deploy North Korean troops in combat.

Concerns are grow over North Korea's deployment of as many as 12,000 troops to aid Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

jsi/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)