SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Sunday fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea, South Korea said, in a possible display of defiance against the latest steps by Washington and Seoul to tighten their nuclear deterrence plans against North Korean threats. The South Korean military said it was sharing the launch information with the United States and Japan to further analyze the details while maintaining readiness against the possibility of additional North Korean military activities. It criticized the launch as a “clear violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea from using ballistic technologies. Last month, North Korea also launched its first military reconnaissance satellite, which Kim described as a crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles. Washington and its allies have also expressed concerns about a potential arms alignment between North Korea and Russia.
