North Korea launches ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, South Korea says

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, South Korean officials said on Friday. 

The launch is the latest in a series of weapons tests by the isolated nation, which Seoul sees as intimidation and a prelude to a potential invasion attempt. 

It also came as South Korea wraps up joint military exercises with an unspecified number of U.S. troops ahead of large-scale joint drills with the U.S. that the north has condemned as a threat. 

Four days earlier, the north and south exchanged warning shots as they accused each other of breaching maritime borders. 

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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from North Korea’s Gangwon province, on its southern border.

North Korean media has not confirmed the missile test.

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“We are aware of the ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a Thursday night statement. “While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs.”

It added the U.S.’ “commitments” to South Korea and Japan remain “ironclad.” 

North Korea is also expected to launch its first nuclear test since 2017 in the coming weeks. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it has seen indications of test preparations, which it called “incredibly concerning.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.