WONSAN — North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday. The launch was detected from North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area around 5 p.m., according to the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japan’s Defense Ministry stated that North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile but there was no impact in or around Japan. On August 6, North Korea conducted a launch using ballistic missile technology that flew over the area between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima island, according to the Prime Minister's Office of Japan. Japan's coast guard urged ships around the coast to use caution and notify authorities if any fallen objects were found. South Korea's military has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the U.S. and Japan.

The ballistic missile launch was North Korea’s first since late June. In late June, North Korea tested a tactical ballistic missile with a “special mission” warhead and other weapons. Kim Jong Un reflected on the need to bolster the military’s “deadly and destructive offensive posture.”

In early July, Kim Jong Un supervised tests of a nuclear-capable cruise missile aboard a new 5,000-ton destroyer. Kim Jong Un has increasingly turned his focus to naval capabilities, including the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. Kim Jong Un called for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches while outlining his five-year military goals at the Workers’ Party congress in February.

Kim Jong Un has been focusing on enlarging North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals since his high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim Jong Un wants international recognition as a nuclear state so that he can demand the lifting of international economic sanctions on North Korea. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from launches involving its stockpile of ballistic missiles. Tests of other weapons including cruise missiles and artillery systems are not banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Large-scale annual exercises are scheduled to be conducted by the U.S. and South Korean militaries later this month. U.S. and South Korean officials say the training is defensive in nature. North Korea says the maneuvers are a practice invasion.

South Korean and U.S. officials have not formally released details about this year’s joint exercise. The drills are typically held in the latter half of August.

In recent years, Kim Jong Un has boosted his diplomatic credentials by expanding ties with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during Putin's June 2024 visit to Pyongyang, which includes a mutual assistance provision if either country faces external aggression. North Korea has supplied conventional weapons and troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

According to an official at Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency, a North Korean missile unit comprising around 90 personnel and equipped with up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers has begun deploying to the Voronezh region of Russia. In January 2025, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations stated that more than 12,000 North Korean soldiers were in Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the North Korean capital Pyongyang in June for the first time in seven years. Kim Jong Un has suggested talks can resume if the U.S. drops its demand for North Korean denuclearization as a precondition.

The launch represents a continuation of military escalation under Kim Jong Un, characterized by naval modernization and deepening strategic cooperation with Russia. U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit such launches, yet North Korea continues to test ballistic technology while expanding its diplomatic and military ties with Moscow. The timing coincides with scheduled U.S.-South Korea joint exercises, which Pyongyang views as a practice invasion despite assurances from Washington and Seoul that the training is defensive.

Why It Matters

This launch violates U.N. Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile tests, occurring as Kim Jong Un seeks international recognition to lift economic sanctions. The test resumes weapons activity after a pause since late June, coinciding with scheduled U.S.-South Korea joint exercises that Pyongyang views as a practice invasion. South Korea's military has bolstered surveillance and coordination with the U.S. and Japan in response to the firing from the Wonsan area.