North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile toward East Sea

ANKARA

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korean media said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Pyongyang launched a missile but did not provide further details, according to Yonhap News Agency.

This was North Korea's second missile test this year, following the launch of a short-range ballistic missile on Jan. 1.

The US said on Saturday it "strongly condemns" North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

While the test did not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, territory, or to its allies, it “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,” said the statement.

“It only demonstrates that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people,” the statement noted.

Watson urged all nations to condemn these violations and called on North Korea to halt its “destabilizing actions and engage in serious dialogue.”

“The US will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and the Republic of Korea and Japanese allies,” said Watson.

The latest launch came just a day after South Korea's military announced a "tabletop" exercise due on Wednesday at the Pentagon, in which senior defense policymakers from both countries will participate, simulating a North Korean nuclear attack.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry then issued a statement warning both countries that they would face "unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions."

Earlier this month, during a meeting in Seoul, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup agreed to increase the scope and scale of this year's combined military exercises and training.

Washington and Seoul also agreed to collaborate closely in the future to ensure that US strategic assets are deployed in a timely and coordinated manner.

Tensions on Korean Peninsula escalated late last year when North Korea launched at least 60 missiles while South Korea and the US held joint military exercises.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid and Zehra Nur Duz