NORTH KOREA FIRES PROJECTILE TOWARDS EAST SEA

South Korea’s military said North Korea fired an unidentified projectile towards waters off its eastern coast on Thursday. The projectile headed towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. South Korea’s Ministry of National defence gave no further details about the launch, including the type of weapon fired. The firing marked at least the fourth known North Korean launch this month, following three earlier launch dates in October.

On 14 October, North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched cruise missile off its eastern coast. Two days earlier, it fired two ballistic missiles from an area near Pyongyang. North Korea also fired a ballistic missile off its eastern coast on 3 October. Those earlier firings included both cruise and ballistic missiles; South Korea’s military has not identified Thursday’s projectile as either type.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China five days before Thursday’s launch. He travelled via a newly inaugurated bridge connecting North Korea and China. Seoul has expressed “grave concerns” over a North Korean plan to deploy weapons along the border. North Korea has also said missile “skip points” exposed gaps in South Korean and Japanese tracking.