North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Amid Rising Tensions Ahead of US-South Korea Drills

Pyongyang launches another projectile into the sea as Washington and Seoul prepare for large-scale joint military exercises.

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, marking yet another provocation as the regime intensifies its rhetoric ahead of upcoming joint military drills between the United States and South Korea. The launch, confirmed by officials in Seoul and Tokyo, follows a familiar pattern of behavior from Pyongyang, which frequently utilizes missile testing to signal its opposition to allied military maneuvers. The Pentagon and the South Korean Defense Ministry have both characterized the upcoming joint exercises as defensive in nature, aimed at deterring North Korean agg…