North Korea launched at least two ballistic missiles early Sunday, according to South Korea and Japan, in a move that added to mounting global tensions as diplomatic activity unfolded in East Asia and Washington escalated military action in Venezuela.
The launches — Pyongyang’s first missile tests in nearly two months — came just hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung began a state visit to China and shortly after the United States carried out a dramatic operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
South Korea’s military said the missiles were fired from the Pyongyang area around 7:50 a.m. local time, traveling roughly 900 kilometers (560 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japanese officials reported two missiles, with one flying as far as 950 kilometers, according to defense authorities.
Analysts said the timing appeared deliberate. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the launch was likely intended as a signal to Beijing amid President Lee’s visit.
“It sends a message to China to discourage closer ties with South Korea and to push back against Beijing’s stance on denuclearization,” Lim said.
North Korea also used the launch to underscore its opposition to U.S. foreign policy. In a statement carried by state media, Pyongyang condemned Washington’s actions in Venezuela, accusing the United States of having “grossly violated the sovereignty” of another nation and calling the operation proof of what it described as America’s “rogue and brutal nature.”
Another analyst, Bong Youngshik, a visiting professor at Yonsei University, said the events in Venezuela may have reinforced North Korea’s emphasis on military deterrence.
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“After seeing what is happening in Venezuela, the person most likely to feel threatened is Kim Jong Un,” Bong said, suggesting the missile launch was meant to project strength.
South Korea’s presidential office said it convened an emergency security meeting and urged Pyongyang to halt what it called “provocative actions that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
Japan also issued a sharp protest. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the missile launches posed a serious threat to regional and global security.
“Our government strongly condemned this act and lodged a formal protest with North Korea,” Koizumi said in a statement.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the launches did not present an immediate danger to U.S. personnel or territory but emphasized that Washington was closely coordinating with allies and partners.
