Joint Chiefs of Staff: "North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile into East Sea"

North Korea successfully test-fired a solid-fueled hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on January 15.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on the 18th.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that morning, "North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea."

This is the first time in over two months since North Korea launched a ballistic missile on January 14.

At that time, North Korea also fired one medium-range ballistic missile into the East Sea.

This recent military provocation by North Korea is interpreted as a response to the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise "Freedom Shield (FS)" conducted from the 4th to the 14th.