North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday, the South Korean army said.
The rocket launches a week after North Korean leader Kim Chenun speaks at a military parade in Pyongyang promising to activate the nuclear weapons program.
A South Korean joint headquarters said on Wednesday that a rocket had been launched from the Suna area around the Japanese Sea and that South Korea was monitoring the possible launch of other missiles in the neighboring country.
The Japanese coastguard also confirmed that North Korea had launched a “possibly ballistic missile”.
Analysts say the rocket test could be a warning to South Korea’s newly elected president, Jun Sukhola, who will liberally replace Mun Jane next week and has promised a tougher policy against North Korea.
US President Joe Biden is also expected to visit South Korea in May.
Kim announced last week that North Korea’s nuclear weapons are a symbol of national strength and must be diversified.
He added that the main role of nuclear weapons is deterrence, but that they could also be used if North Korea’s fundamental interests were exposed to the attack.
In March, North Korea resumed testing of long-range missiles, launching its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile.
Similar long-range missile and nuclear tests in North Korea have been suspended since 2018, when Kim met with then-US President Donald Trump, although in 2019 diplomatic efforts failed.
North Korea is subject to severe international sanctions aimed at restricting its nuclear program. All attempts to persuade Kim to give up the program through negotiations have been unsuccessful.
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