North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Towards Sea Amid Heightened Tensions with South Korea
North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast on Saturday morning. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missile was launched from the port city of Wonsan and flew over 700 kilometers (435 miles). Seoul's presidential national security office convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation, and the South Korean military has raised an alert for further launches, sharing intelligence with the U.S. and Japan. Japan also issued an emergency alert. This launch follows a period of heightened tensions, including landmine blasts in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that seriously injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korea and the U.S.-led United Nations Command attributed these blasts to North Korean mines. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed South Korean demands for an apology over the mine blasts as 'utterly pathetic' and stated North Korea's intention to permanently cut ties with the South. The launch is the ...
