[2nd Report] JCS: "North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile over East Sea"

North Korea launched a ballistic missile over the East Sea on August 12. This marks the country's 11th ballistic missile launch so far this year.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "At around 6 a.m., we detected a ballistic missile launched over the East Sea from the Wonsan area in North Korea."

Just six days earlier, on August 6, North Korea had also fired a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) from the Wonsan area over the East Sea. This latest launch comes only six days after the previous one. At that time, North Korea did not report the launch through its state-run media, prompting speculation that this launch pattern differed from previous ones. It also remains possible that North Korea fired the same type of missile as before.

This latest launch took place just ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), a full-theater-scale joint military drill between South Korea and the United States, scheduled to run from August 17 to 27. North Korea has consistently shown a sensitive response to the UFS exercises, referring to them as "invasion rehearsals," and has at times staged shows of force such as missile launches in conjunction with major South Korea-U.S. drills.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for possible additional launches, while South Korea, the United States, and Japan continue to closely share information regarding North Korean ballistic missiles and maintain a full state of readiness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.