North Korea launches ballistic missile, further tense situation

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) South Korea's military said on Saturday that North Korea had launched at least one ballistic missile. South Korea previously accused North Korea of ​​being responsible for an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers.

South Korea's military and the U.S.-led United Nations Command determined that last month's explosion in the Demilitarized Zone was caused by landmines laid by North Korea on the South Korean side of the border. Since the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, the Demilitarized Zone has been a mine-filled buffer zone separating South Korea and North Korea.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected North Korea launching a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area toward the Sea of ​​Japan in the early hours of Saturday.

The agency also said: "South Korea, the United States and Japan are maintaining a strong defense posture by closely sharing information on North Korea's ballistic missiles."

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who has taken a relatively moderate stance, called on Pyongyang on Thursday to return to dialogue despite the South Korean military's demand for an apology from North Korea the day before.

Since Kim Jong-un defined South Korea as North Korea's "number one enemy" in 2024, the North Korean military has been laying landmines and building anti-tank obstacles in the border areas to completely block the border between South Korea and North Korea.

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said the landmines involved in last month's explosion were believed to be part of Pyongyang's border fortification projects. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young proposed to Pyongyang on Friday to hold talks on border issues.

Pyongyang strikes back hard, refuses to apologize

But Kim Yo Jong, the politically powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, later on Friday called South Korea "despicable" and again denied Pyongyang's involvement in the bombing.

She also mocked Lee Jae-myung's latest dialogue proposal, calling it a "climax of farce that everyone should watch."

This escalation of tensions comes at a sensitive time on the Korean Peninsula.

U.S. President Trump has frequently sent dialogue signals to Pyongyang in recent days, causing concern in South Korea. South Korea, a U.S. ally, worries that Seoul may be sidelined in possible future negotiations on North Korea's nuclear issue. North Korea currently receives support from both Russia and China.

The new Yalu River Bridge, which has been on hold for ten years, is about to be put into use

South Korea's opposition National Power Party on Friday accused President Lee Jae-myung of failing to criticize North Korea when he should. At the same time, the Lee Jae-myung government has taken a tough stance on the Ukrainian issue because Ukraine has disclosed information about the secret transfer of North Korean prisoners of war.

Saturday's missile launch follows weeks of North Korea flexing its military muscles, including test-firing a missile system it says has hypersonic capabilities, holding live-fire drills and officially commissioning a new warship.

Despite U.S. calls for a resumption of diplomatic engagement and negotiations, Kim Jong Un continues to demonstrate North Korea's expanding nuclear weapons program and demand Washington recognize his status as a nuclear power.