SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥� fired a possible ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, Japan鈥檚 Defense Ministry said, the second such in less than a week.
The Defense Ministry said the suspected weapon has landed in the waters.
Yonhap news agency, citing South Korea鈥檚 military, reported that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off North Korea鈥檚 east coast.
The reported launch came two days after South Korea and the United States said they will kick off their annual large-scale next week to beef up readiness against North Korean threats.
The drills, called , were expected to draw an angry response from North Korea, because the country views the training as a rehearsal to invade it. North Korea has previously responded to major South Korean-U.S. military drills with provocative weapons tests and harsh rhetoric.
On Aug. 6, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea in what was the North鈥檚 first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June. North Korea didn鈥檛 confirm the reported launch, though it usually releases details of weapons tests a day after.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield training is to start on Monday, Aug. 17, for an 11-day run and its scale will be similar to previous years with 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part, according to South Korea’s military.
North Korea has been engaging in a run of weapons tests since its leader Kim Jong Un’s with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019 due to disputes over international economic sanctions on North Korea.
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