North Korea's Missile Launch Amid Tensions with US-ROK-Japan Drill

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Monday, following protests against a US-South Korea-Japan military drill. The launch came after North Korea's Foreign Ministry condemned the trilateral exercise and vowed defensive and overwhelming responses. The drill involved extensive joint military manoeuvres, prompting heightened tensions in the region.

North Korea launched a ballistic missile off its east coast on Monday, according to South Korea's military, a day after Pyongyang vowed 'offensive and overwhelming' responses to a new US military drill with South Korea and Japan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch but provided no additional details, including the missile's trajectory.

The missile test followed a weekend of tension, as the latest 'Freedom Edge' drill between the US, South Korea, and Japan concluded. The multidomain exercise featured a U.S. aircraft carrier, destroyers, fighter jets, and helicopters from the three nations. It included complex missile defense, anti-submarine, and maritime interdiction drills.

On Sunday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the trilateral exercise, likening it to an 'Asian version of NATO' that disrupts the security balance on the Korean Peninsula. The ministry also suggested the drills were intended to pressure Russia and surround China strategically.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry pledged to 'firmly defend the sovereignty, security, and interests of the state,' promising offensive and overwhelming countermeasures. This launch marks North Korea's first weapons test in five days, following what it described as a successful test of a multiwarhead missile designed to defeat US and South Korean defenses, a claim South Korea disputes.

In recent developments, North Korea has also deployed balloons carrying trash into South Korea, in apparent retaliation against South Korean activists sending political leaflets northward. Additionally, North Korea opened a crucial ruling party meeting on Friday to address 'important, immediate issues' for advancing Korean-style socialism. During the meeting, leader Kim Jong Un discussed challenges hindering economic progress and outlined tasks to address them.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)