North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Over East Sea After 8-Day Lull

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area at around 3 p.m. on the 20th. This marks the first ballistic missile launch by North Korea in eight days, following one on the 12th.

The government denounced the launch as a serious violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and urged Pyongyang to immediately halt such launches. The National Security Office convened an emergency security situation review meeting the same day, attended by officials from the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and other relevant agencies.

"While strengthening surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches, South Korea, the United States, and Japan are closely sharing information related to North Korean ballistic missiles and maintaining a full readiness posture," the JCS said. The government plans to maintain utmost readiness in response to the launch.