South Korea says North Korea fired at least 1 ballistic missile toward its eastern waters

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says North Korea has fired at least one ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday didn’t immediately release other details. It wasn’t clear what type of ballistic weapon it was or how far it flew.

North Korea has been accelerating the pace of its weapons testing in recent weeks, including the firing of purported hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles last month.

The latest launch came days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to South Korea for annual security talks between the allies on Tuesday and praised South Korean plans to raise its military spending in the face of North Korean nuclear threats and other regional uncertainties.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been shunning all forms of talks with Washington and Seoul since his diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump derailed during Trump’s first term in 2019 amid disagreements over trading relief from U.S.-led sanctions on the North for steps to dismantle Kim’s nuclear program.

He has since accelerated the expansion of his nuclear weapons and missiles program, while making Russia of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to help fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. Kim’s arsenal now includes nuclear-capable missiles of various ranges targeting U.S. allies in Asia and the U.S. mainland.