Cheong Wa Dae urges N. Korea to immediately halt illegal missile launches

On Monday, North Korea launched an unidentified projectile from its eastern coastline, according to the South Korean military. The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the event in a brief statement, using the term "East Sea," which is also known as the Sea of Japan.

This latest action came just days after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on October 3, which its powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, claimed incorporated artificial intelligence technology. The missile reportedly had the capability to alter its flight path at low altitudes due to the AI integration, as stated by Kim Yo-jong at the time.

In response to these developments, South Korea's presidential office reported the successful test of its first home-grown hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). The HGV is a weapon that is launched into the upper atmosphere by rocket boosters or ballistic missiles before gliding towards its target. The South Korean officials emphasized that this new weapon offers a "deterrence capability capable of striking key targets within the Korean peninsula's operational environment."

The heightened tensions between the two Koreas have been further fueled by the injury of three South Korean soldiers. Two landmines detonated in the Seoul-controlled area of the demilitarized zone, a buffer zone established since the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. A joint investigation conducted by Seoul and the United Nations attributed the landmine planting to North Korea over a year ago. However, Pyongyang has vehemently denied these allegations.