SEOUL, April 19 (AJP) - North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Sunday, South Korea’s military confirmed Sunday, marking the latest in a string of weapons tests over the last two months amid ongoing war in the Gulf.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch and is analyzing the missile’s specifications, including its range and trajectory.
The firing comes 11 days after Pyongyang last launched ballistic missiles on April 8, when it conducted two tests in a single day. A day earlier, on April 7, the North fired another projectile that appeared to fail shortly after launch.
Sunday’s launch is the seventh ballistic missile test by North Korea this year, following earlier firings on Jan. 4, Jan. 27 and March 14, according to military data.
The latest test comes amid heightened regional tensions and ahead of a planned visit by Donald Trump to China next month, where North Korea is expected to be a key topic in talks with Xi Jinping along with the Middle East crisis.
Analysts say the timing suggests Pyongyang may be seeking to assert its strategic relevance and influence the agenda of the anticipated U.S.-China summit.
North Korea has recently signaled advances in its weapons programs, including claims of testing new “important weapons systems.” State media earlier reported experiments involving short-range ballistic missiles fitted with cluster-type warheads, as well as trials of electromagnetic weapons and carbon-fiber-based munitions dispersal systems.
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