High tension between the two cores. South Korea says North Korea has launched a ballistic missile towards its eastern waters, towards the Japan. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch took place early Friday, but did not provide further details. It is the latest in a series of missile launches by the North Korea in recent days. The Joint Chiefs of Staff South Korea says North Korea also flew warplanes near the border between late Thursday and early Friday, prompting South Korea to launch fighters. There have been no reports of clashes between the two Koreas. The North Korean military also released a statement accusing South Korea of firing artillery for about 10 hours near the border on Thursday.
The Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada claimed that the missile flew on an “irregular” trajectory, a possible reference to describe the North’s highly maneuverable KN-23 weapon modeled on the Russian Iskander missile.
The sanctions
South Korea has imposed sanctions on 15 North Korean individuals and 16 institutions, all linked to the missile program: the Seoul government said, according to the South Korean agency Yonhap.