North Korea fires ballistic missiles into the Sea of ​​Japan

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of ​​Japan on Thursday, May 8, the South Korean military announced.

The latter "detected several projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Wonsan region of North Korea towards the East Sea at around 8:10 a.m." (1:10 a.m. Thursday in Paris), the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, using the Korean name for the Sea of ​​Japan.

These are the first ballistic missile launches by North Korea in nearly two months. The last one took place on March 10, when South Korea and the United States were conducting military exercises in the region.

United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear program prohibit it from possessing ballistic missiles, which spend most of their time outside the atmosphere.

On April 28, the North Korean navy unveiled a new destroyer, the Choe Hyon , scheduled to enter service in early 2026. Cruise missile tests were carried out on this occasion, according to the official KCNA agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un subsequently ordered "to accelerate the nuclear arming of the navy in order to defend the state and maritime sovereignty against current and future threats."

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their lowest point in years, with the North even officially abandoning any hope of reunifying the two Koreas last year. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as their 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.