North Korea fires ballistic missile from Wonsan into East Sea, traveling over 700 km

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area of Gangwon Province into the East Sea early Saturday, National Foundation Day, with the projectile traveling more than 700 kilometers. The launch marks Pyongyang's first show of force since tensions rose on the peninsula following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone last month.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korean forces detected a single ballistic missile fired from the Wonsan area into the East Sea at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

The JCS said the missile flew more than 700 kilometers and that South Korean and US forces were conducting a detailed analysis of its precise specifications. It added that the intelligence agencies of both countries had been tracking and sharing information on the launch from its earliest stages.

"Our military is closely monitoring North Korea's various activities under the firm South Korea-US combined defense posture," the JCS said, adding that it was maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation.

The military heightened its surveillance and Alert posture against North Korea in preparation for additional launches.

Military authorities are paying close attention to the significantly extended flight range. The missile type, maximum altitude and impact point remain under analysis.

The launch is the first since the DMZ mine explosion. On Sept. 21, three South Korean soldiers were wounded when a North Korean landmine detonated as they were building a new patrol route south of the MDL on the western front. On Wednesday, JCS operations chief Kang Hyeon-u called on North Korea to issue a formal apology.

In response, Kim Yo-jong, director of the Korean Workers' Party's Organization and Guidance Department, rejected the demand, claiming North Korea had not deliberately planted mines in the border area. When Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young proposed inter-Korean dialogue, Kim dismissed the offer as "a delusion not worth responding to."

Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency security situation review meeting chaired by the National Security Office immediately after the launch, with the Ministry of National Defense, the JCS and other relevant agencies in attendance. The National Security Office directed participants to assess South Korea's response and analyze the security implications of the launch.

It also called for a fresh review of readiness gaps in the wake of the DMZ mine incident. Cheong Wa Dae urged North Korea to immediately halt its launches, calling them a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, Japan's Defense Ministry also announced Saturday that North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. The Japanese government assessed that the missile had landed outside its exclusive economic zone and convened an emergency team at the crisis management center of the prime minister's office.