“While strengthening our surveillance and vigilance, our military maintains a position of full readiness in close cooperation with the United States,” the Joint Staff Command Seoul said in a statement.

Pyongyang’s move is ripe with consequences Short-range ballistic missile launchA few hours ago, North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Sun-hui warned that the hermit country would take “severe” military measures if the United States stepped up its “enhanced defense” commitment to regional allies including South Korea and Japan.

Washington-Tokyo-Seoul Trilateral Summit – The reference was to Sunday’s trilateral summit between US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during ASEAN regional meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The three leaders agreed to work together to strengthen coordination efforts, with a clear commitment reiterated by Biden. Extended deterrence, in particular, refers to Washington’s promise to use the full range of nuclear and conventional military capabilities to defend allies. The latest North Korean turmoil comes amid concerns over leader Kim Jong Un’s seventh nuclear test.

Kishida: “Unacceptable” – For Fumio Kishida, North Korea’s ballistic missile launch is “absolutely unacceptable”. The Japanese prime minister later underlined that there were no reports of damage to ships or aircraft and reported that “a ballistic missile launched by North Korea is believed to have landed in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) west of Hokkaido.”

US ‘strongly condemns’ – Washington’s condemnation of Pyongyang followed soon after. In fact, the United States said it “strongly” condemns North Korea’s launch of a “long-range ballistic missile.” “The president – read a statement signed by National Security Council spokesman Adrian Watson – has been briefed on the situation and will continue to consult with allies and partners along with the security team”. “This launch – he continues – is a flagrant violation of several resolutions of the UN Security Council and unnecessarily increases tensions and risks destabilizing the security of the region”.