Prior To Releasing Thursday's Ballistic Missiles, North Korea Was Tough On The US And The Allies

Illustration of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while paying attention to missile tests. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea has firmly warned the United States and the Allies of a firm military response regarding increased security cooperation, saying Washington is taking on "the game to be regretted".

The South Korean military announced the launch of a ballistic missile from the east coast city of Wonsan, North Korea, at 10:48 a.m. local time, flying 240 km (150 miles) to an altitude of 47 km at Mach 4.

Thursday's launch came less than two hours after North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui criticized a trilateral summit of the United States, South Korea, and Japan on Sunday, where leaders criticized Pyongyang's weapons tests and promised greater security cooperation.

At the talks, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening extended deterrence and defending the two Asian allies with "full capabilities", including nuclear weapons.

Choe said the three countries' "war games for aggression" failed to control North Korea, but preferred to bring "more serious, realistic and inevitable threat" to themselves.

"The sharper the US is at the 'extended preventive offer' to its allies and the more they intensify provocative military activities and bully, the more fierce the DPRK's military retaliation will be," Choe said in a statement delivered by the official KCNA news agency. November 17th.

He named his country with the initials the official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The US will be well aware that it is gambling, which it will definitely regret," Choe added.

Choe said Pyongyang's military activities were "sah and just resistance" to Washington-led exercises.

Meanwhile, the South Korean and US military carried out missile defense exercises following North Korea's latest launch, said the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Seoul (JCS), who strongly criticized it.

"We urge the immediate cessation of North Korea's ballistic missile launch series, which is a serious provocation that undermines peace and stability," the JCS said in a statement.

The United States has been saying since May that North Korea is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017, but the timing remains unclear.

Washington, Seoul and Tokyo said in a joint statement after the summit that Pyongyang's nuclear tests would lead to a "strong and firm response."