North Korea fires off second missile in less than a week

The missile was believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said.

North Korea carried out a ballistic missile launch on Wednesday, marking its second such test in under a week. The missile is believed to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from its coast. Both the Japanese and South Korean militaries confirmed the launch, with the latter stating the missile was fired eastward.

This came shortly after Pyongyang tested a ballistic missile last week, following Kim Jong Un's announcement of pursuing unspecified "additional military options" in response to Japan's expanding defense capabilities. The missile launch was the North's first since Kim oversaw tests of a tactical ballistic missile and new multiple rocket launchers and weapons on June 25.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader, stated on August 5 that Pyongyang would not remain passive in the face of Japan's growing military power, describing Tokyo's efforts to acquire long-range strike capabilities as a grave threat to global peace and security. Tokyo's annual defense white paper, released on Tuesday, stated that North Korea's military activities pose an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan's national security than ever before.

Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.