North Korea Fires Unidentified Projectiles Off Coast

Japan DM: Launch appears to be ballistic missiles

In what South Korea is calling a large-scale military drill, North Korea has conducted a live fire operation along its eastern coast, firing three unidentified projectiles off the coast and into the sea.

Details are still emerging, as South Korea appears to have reported the firings well before they had any idea what was fired. South Korea is still being mum on that, though Japan’s Defense Ministry suggested they were ballistic missiles. They were short-range at any rate, as the firings fell short of Japanese waters.

Whether this is going to be a real issue or not remains to be seen. In the past, President Trump has indicated that short-range tests are not a problem. At the same time, the US has complained about almost everything North Korea does as potentially provocative.

North Korea says they have the right to conduct military drills in the face of US and South Korean threats. The UN met over recent drills, but did not issue any statements at the end.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.