On Wednesday, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles towards its eastern coast, as reported by South Korea and Japan. This action occurred shortly after Pyongyang revealed a new uranium enrichment facility and pledged to enhance its nuclear capabilities. The missiles were launched from Kaechon, located north of Pyongyang, at approximately 6:50 a.m. local time (2150 GMT Tuesday), traveling in a northeast direction for about 400 kilometers (249 miles), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The JCS did not disclose the exact number of missiles launched or their landing sites. In a statement, the JCS expressed strong condemnation of North Korea’s missile tests, labeling them a blatant provocation that poses a significant threat to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, and promised decisive responses to any future provocations. Approximately 30 minutes after the initial missile launch, Japan’s coast guard reported that North Korea had fired another ballistic missile. Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara indicated that at least one missile landed near North Korea’s eastern inland coast, asserting that such actions are “unacceptable.”

1. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced on X that it is monitoring the missile launches and is in close consultation with both Seoul and Tokyo. Last Thursday, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles, marking its first such activity in over two months, which it later characterized as a test of a new 600-mm multiple launch rocket system. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested that the launch may have been intended to evaluate weapons for potential export to Russia, amid growing military collaboration between the two nations. The United States, South Korea, and Ukraine, among others, have accused Pyongyang of providing rockets and missiles to Moscow for use in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, in exchange for economic and military support. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, currently in Russia for conferences, met with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss enhancing bilateral relations, as reported by the Russian foreign ministry on its website. The missile launches on Wednesday also followed North Korea’s first public display of centrifuges capable of producing fuel for nuclear weapons, coinciding with leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to a uranium enrichment facility, where he called for an increase in weapons-grade material to expand the country’s arsenal.