Zainab Abdulmumeen AliyuNorth Korea fired at least two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, according to officials in Japan and South Korea, in a move that heightened regional tensions a day after a senior U.S. defense official visited Seoul.
Japan’s coast guard, citing the defense ministry, said two ballistic missiles were detected. Japanese media reported the missiles landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also confirmed the launches, saying several missiles were fired toward what Seoul refers to as the East Sea.
The launch marked Pyongyang’s second missile test this month. It followed a previous salvo fired just hours before South Korean President traveled to China for a summit, underscoring North Korea’s pattern of weapons tests around key diplomatic events.
The launches came one day after U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby visited Seoul, where he described South Korea as a “model ally.” The United States maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of its long-standing security commitment forged during the Korean War.
North Korea has significantly expanded missile testing in recent years, with analysts saying the program aims to improve precision strike capabilities, challenge U.S. and South Korean defenses, and test weapons potentially destined for export to Russia.
Pyongyang frequently condemns joint U.S.–South Korean military exercises as rehearsals for invasion.
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un criticized Seoul’s efforts to develop nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. cooperation, calling the move a “threat” that must be countered.
Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled. Former U.S.
President Donald Trump met Kim Jong Un three times during his first term, but talks collapsed after a 2019 summit in Hanoi failed to produce a denuclearization agreement. Subsequent attempts to revive dialogue have gone unanswered by North Korea.
According to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, North Korea has also sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Analysts say the latest missile launch may be linked to domestic politics as well. North Korea is expected to hold its first ruling party congress in five years in the coming weeks. Kim has ordered an expansion and modernization of missile production ahead of the event.
“The launch appears intended to heighten tensions to reinforce internal discipline and consolidate regime unity,” Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP, adding that the timing may also be a response to the U.S. official’s visit.
