North Korea test-launches ballistic missile
Photo: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (kremlin.ru)
On Thursday, North Korea test-launched a ballistic missile toward the eastern waters of the DPRK, according to AP.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated in a brief announcement that the launch occurred on Thursday morning but provided no further details, such as the distance the weapon traveled.
Updated at 4:43 a.m. (Kyiv time). Bloomberg specifies that the missile was likely intercontinental. The outlet cites Japan's Defense Minister General Nakatani, who stated the missile flew for approximately 86 minutes, marking the longest recorded flight for a missile launched by Pyongyang.
The reported launch took place the day after South Korean military intelligence informed lawmakers that North Korea likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test and is close to conducting a test launch of a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.
Today, the Financial Times reported that 3,000 North Korean soldiers have already arrived in the Kursk region, approximately 50 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
US officials stated that the potential involvement of North Korean troops in Russia's war against Ukraine could lead to new forms of support for Ukraine from Western partners.
Ukraine's representative to the United Nations remarked that North Korea seeks to gain combat experience through its participation in the war against Ukraine, as the conflict could spread from Europe to the Asian continent.
