“North Korea fires ballistic missile eastward, says Seoul –

It is the first time Pyongyang has fired a ballistic missile since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June

North Korea fires ballistic missile eastward, says Seoul

It is the first time Pyongyang has fired a ballistic missile since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June this year.

This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a test launch of new intercontinental ballistic missile “Hwasong-19” at an undisclosed site in North Korea
It is more than five months since North Korea launched a ballistic missile

North Korea fired a ballistic missile eastward, South Korea’s military said on Wednesday.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the “unidentified” missile flew east, with the South Korean Yonhap news agency saying it was launched toward the sea off North Korea’s east coast.

Pyongyang last launched ballistic missiles on May 8, when it fired several short-range projectiles from its east coast.

Wednesday’s launch is the first of its kind since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.

During his presidential campaign, Lee proactively brought up the necessity of halting hostile moves toward North Korea.

Lee even talked up ushering in “a new era of peaceful coexistence” with North Korea in his first address at the UN General Assembly last month, reiterating the need to continue working toward denuclearization while fostering inter-Korean cooperation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a number of weapons tests since since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with US President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019.

Last month Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington drops its demand for a denuclearization of North Korea, after Trump repeatedly expressed hopes for a new round of diplomacy.

In August, Kim supervised a test firing of two “new” air defense missiles, which coincided with joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.