N. Korea Says Late-Night Missile Test Was Countermeasure To Seoul's "Provocations"

A spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army told the official Korean Central News Agency that the latest ballistic missile test conducted by Pyongyang were a countermeasure to South Korea's "provocative action" in the frontline area, Yonhap News Agency reports.

• The statement came hours after North Korea flew several military aircraft near the no-fly zone stretching along the Military Demarcation Line and staged a late-night test of at least one short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) that landed outside of Japan's EEZ.
• Some had expected North Korea to tone down its military tests after the Party Foundation Day on October 10, which failed to materialise, as the nation conducted a missile drill involving its tactical nuclear unit just two days later. Military experts have been warning that North Korea has made all necessary preparations for a fully-fledged nuclear test.
• South Korea responded by scrambling its fighter jets and vowing to maintain "full readiness posture." Recent military exercises held by Seoul have fuelled a domestic debate on the need to improve its deterrence capabilities. South Korea's military admitted to losing track of a missile fired during last week's drill, while another projectile fell just 700 metres away from a civilian house.