North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’: South Korea

Name: North Korea’s Kim Jong-un celebrates late father’s birthday known as ‘Day of the Shining Star’
Uploaded: 2022-02-27T01:35:59.000Z
Duration: 1 min 25 s
Description: North Korea’s Kim Jong-un celebrates late father’s birthday known as ‘Day of the Shining Star’

Sunday’s launch comes less than two weeks ahead of a pivotal presidential election in South Korea on March 9

Analysts believe North Korea may push ahead with missile development while international attention is focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

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A photo provided by the North Korean government appearing to show a missile test in North Pyongan Province on January 14, 2022. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Photo: Korean Central News Agency via AP

Agence France-Presse

Published: 9:35am, 27 Feb 2022Updated: 1:06pm, 27 Feb 2022

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, Seoul said, resuming a weapons-testing blitz following a month of relative calm during the Beijing Winter Olympics, and while the world focuses on Ukraine.

The Sunday launch is Pyongyang’s eighth so far this year, including test-firing its most powerful missile since high-profile negotiations between leader Kim Jong-un and then-US president Donald Trump collapsed in 2017. Diplomacy has languished ever since.

Despite biting international sanctions, Pyongyang has doubled down on military development and last month threatened to abandon a self-imposed moratorium on firing long-range and nuclear weapons.

Analysts had widely predicted Pyongyang would seek to capitalise on US distraction over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday with new tests.

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North Korea’s Kim Jong-un celebrates late father’s birthday known as ‘Day of the Shining Star’

South Korea’s military said Sunday it had detected a ballistic missile fired towards the Sea of Japan at 7.52am local time from Pyongyang.