North Korea Launches Suspected Short-Range Ballistic Missile Into East Sea After U.S. Sanctions

Seoul: Suspected SRBM Launched Toward East Sea

South Korea's military reported that North Korea launched a projectile presumed to be a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) from the Taegwan area of North Pyongan Province into the East Sea on Nov. 7. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the launch occurred at approximately 12:35 p.m. local time and that the projectile traveled about 435 miles (≈700 km) before splashing down at sea.

"Our military detected a projectile presumed to be a short-range ballistic missile launched from the Taegwan area ... into the East Sea at approximately 12:35 p.m. today," the JCS said in a message to reporters. The JCS added that South Korean and U.S. intelligence had been monitoring launch preparations and immediately detected and tracked the launch.

Japan's Defense Ministry also confirmed the launch, saying the projectile fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and caused no damage to aircraft or ships.

Context and Reaction

The launch followed U.S. Treasury Department sanctions announced a day earlier targeting eight individuals and two entities accused of involvement in North Korean cybercrime and money-laundering operations. In response to those measures, Pyongyang warned it would take "proper measures to counter" what it described as a hostile U.S. stance.

Earlier in the week, South Korea's military reported that North Korea fired roughly 10 artillery rockets into waters off the northern Yellow Sea. That action coincided with a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the DMZ truce village of Panmunjom.

Prior to the Nov. 7 launch, North Korea's most recent ballistic missile test was on Oct. 22, conducted just before U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju. There had been speculation the trip might revive direct diplomacy between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but no summit took place.

Note: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the country's official name.