Missile Launch Is 'Grave Provocation'-South Korean Military

The South Korean military has issued a statement calling the latest missile launch from the North Korean regime a 'grave provocation' that undermines international peace. The missile test comes days after South Korea and the United States engaged in military drills involving nuclear-capable bombers and stealth fighter jets flown near the Korean peninsular with South Korean war planes. Pyongyang typically views these drills as a rehearsal for an invasion of North Korea.

• SCMP reports: "The training came after North Korea recently claimed to have conducted key tests needed to develop its first military spy satellite and a new strategic weapon, a likely reference to a more mobile intercontinental ballistic missile."
• There remain significant concerns among the US and its allies in the region that the North could be on the verge of another nuclear test, the first since 2017. These tests often come on momentous days in the North's calendar so 16 Feb (Kim Jong Il's birthday) or 15 Apr (Kim Il Sung's birthday) will be seen as high-risk occasions.