North Korea fired what appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile toward the sea to its east, the South Korean military said, in Pyongyang's first missile launch in two months.
The military said the missile flew 1,100 kilometers before falling into the sea, adding that it “strongly condemns” this “clear provocative act.”
The launch comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visits Seoul for talks with some of South Korea's key leaders.
Earlier Monday, Blinken met with Acting President Choe Sang-mook, where he described the alliance between Washington and Seoul as “the cornerstone of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
South Korea's military said it has stepped up monitoring of North Korea's future missile launches and is “closely exchanging information” about today's launch with the United States and Japan.
Today's launch also comes amid political chaos in South Korea, which has embroiled the country for weeks following the suspension of President Yeon Suk-yul. Try short-lived martial law In December.
Yoon, who was stripped of his presidential powers after lawmakers voted to impeach him, now faces arrest. The Constitutional Court is also deliberating whether he should be removed from office.
Pyongyang previously mocked Yoon's shock declaration of martial law “Crazy work” He accused Yoon of “brazenly brandishing the blades and guns of the fascist dictatorship at his own people.”
The international community considers North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a dictator. The Kim family has ruled the reclusive nation for decades by developing and promoting a cult of personality.
The last time Pyongyang fired missiles was in November, one day before the US presidential election, when it launched at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast.
Earlier that week, the United States flew a long-range bomber during trilateral military exercises with South Korea and Japan in a show of force, drawing condemnation from Kim Yo Jong, Kim's sister.
