N. Korea fires ballistic missile into East Sea from Wonsan area

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday that the military detected a short-range ballistic missile fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea into the East Sea at around 3 p.m.

The missile traveled approximately 450 kilometers, and South Korean and US authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of its specifications.

"South Korean and US intelligence authorities have been tracking and sharing relevant developments since the early stage of the launch, and related information on the North Korean ballistic missile has also been shared with Japan," the JCS said.

"Under the firm South Korea-US combined defense posture, our military is closely monitoring North Korea's various activities and maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation," it added.

The launch came two days after North Korea threatened to take "responsive action" against US-led exercises in the Asia-Pacific region.

In a statement released Friday, Kim Yo-jong, director of the Korean Workers' Party's General Affairs Department, denounced multinational maritime drills including Pacific Vanguard, led by the US Navy's 7th Fleet, and warned that "responsive action of proportional or greater offensive nature" was necessary.

Sunday's launch was North Korea's 14th ballistic missile launch this year and its first in eight days. The previous launch, on Sept. 12, also came in the early hours immediately after the conclusion of Freedom Edge, the trilateral South Korea-US-Japan routine multi-domain exercise.

In that instance, North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area into the East Sea. Two days later, it disclosed through its external media that the launch had been a combined fire assault drill mixing four types of weapons — tactical ballistic missiles, attack drones, strategic cruise missiles and large-caliber thermobaric multiple rocket launchers.

North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches are widely read as a message to Washington that Pyongyang will continue advancing its deterrence capabilities in line with its own military and technological requirements.

US President Donald Trump last month ordered a reduction in combined military exercises with South Korea and publicly expressed his intention to pursue talks with North Korea, but Pyongyang has not responded to the Trump administration's overtures and appears focused on building up its military strength.

However, North Korea's recent moves could also be interpreted as part of a psychological standoff — a show of resolve amid ongoing maneuvering over the prospects for North Korea-US dialogue.

In particular, with Trump set to address the UN General Assembly debate beginning Tuesday (local time) and a US-China summit on Thursday (local time) at which North Korean issues are expected to be discussed, Pyongyang may be seeking to drive home the message that building its nuclear and other deterrence capabilities is non-negotiable.