Japan, South Korea report ballistic missile launch by North Korea

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Saturday (14 March), Japanese and South Korean officials said. The development comes amid the joint annual U.S.-South Korea "Freedom Shield" military drills and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's visit to Washington.

According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, the missile is believed to have landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

South Korea, currently conducting its annual Freedom Shield military exercises with the United States, also confirmed the launch of an unidentified projectile “toward the East Sea,” another name for the Sea of Japan, Yonhap news agency reported.

The launch is Pyongyang’s first since it fired two ballistic missiles on 27 January.

Dialogue prospects

The strike comes as South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, visiting Washington, said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed a positive view towards resuming dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

This opens the possibility of a meeting around the time of Trump’s visit to Beijing for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this month, Yonhap noted.

Last month, during a rare ruling party congress, Kim signalled that North Korea could “get on well” with Washington, suggesting the door may be open to renewed talks with the U.S. president.

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