North Korea Fires Missiles After South Korean Aircraft Buzz Near The Border

North Korea has launched a short-range ballistic missile flying near the South Korean border, which fell into its eastern waters, escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula following an unprecedented round of nuclear tests this year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea claimed that the missile was launched from the region around Pyongyang at 1.49 a.m. on Friday (10.19 p.m. IST on Thursday).

North Korea launches missile just hours after South Korea scrambled F-35 fighter fighters and other aircraft after roughly ten North Korean aeroplanes were spotted 12km from the border, according to the JCS.

North Korea has been launching its missile, but this time the planes violated a Seoul-established "reconnaissance line," which triggered an immediate operational response.

South Korea's National Security Council slammed North Korea's escalation of tensions, calling it a violation of a 2018 bilateral military treaty that prohibits "hostile conduct" along the border.

In the last five years, Seoul imposed its first unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang, blacklisting 15 North Korean individuals and 16 missile development institutions.

North Korea launched a record amount of weapons in 2022, and leader Kim Jong Un has prioritised the development of tactical nuclear weapons.

Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's Defence Minister, denounced the latest missile test, saying the missile flew on an "irregular" trajectory – a likely allusion to the KN-23, which is based on Russia's Iskander missile.

Hamada said that whatever their intentions, North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches are completely unacceptable, and we cannot ignore its significant development in missile capability. "North Korea's activities are completely intolerable and represent hazards to Japan, the region and the international community,” he added.