North Korea Fires Missile from Wonsan, Japan Issues Strong Protest

JAKARTA - North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile again, but its state media did not immediately report the launch. This attitude is different from Pyongyang's habit of announcing missile tests the following morning.

Kyodo News, quoted on Friday, August 7, reported that the Korean Central News Agency or KCNA and Rodong Sinmun as of Friday at 08.00 had not mentioned the missile launch carried out a day earlier.

However, the silence of the government media is not the first time. Pyongyang has previously not reported on launches that are considered small or do not have enough propaganda value.

South Korean military detected the missile launched from the Wonsan area on the east coast of North Korea around 17:00 on Thursday. The flight distance and other details have not been revealed.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense recorded the launch at around 17.02. The missile is estimated to have fallen off the coast of North Korea.

No projectiles are believed to have fallen in Japan's exclusive economic zone. There were also no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.

Tokyo has continued to lodge a strong protest with Pyongyang. Japan considers the launch to be a threat to the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, as well as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the launch was carried out ahead of the joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield, which is expected to take place this month.

Ulchi Freedom Shield is a joint annual military exercise between South Korea and the United States.

Pyongyang has reacted harshly to large-scale US-South Korean military exercises, seeing them as preparations for an invasion.

Thursday's launch was North Korea's 10th this year.

In late June, Kim Jong Un witnessed the testing of a number of major weapons, including a dual-rocket launcher system and a tactical ballistic missile warhead, according to KCNA.

Previously, on May 26, North Korea also launched a number of projectiles from its west coast, including short-range ballistic missiles, according to the South Korean military.