North Korea launches 9th ballistic missile test of the year on Saturday

North Korea fired what is attempted to be a single ballistic missile into waters off the east of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday, as indicated by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the country’s ninth such test of the year. North Korea launched an apparent ballistic missile on Saturday, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, as the nuclear-armed country proceeds with a phenomenal speed of weapons tests this year.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea toward the east of the Korean peninsula on Saturday, militaries in the region said, a clear test only days before the South’s presidential election.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it recognized the launch of one ballistic missile, and the office of Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida likewise said it was a suspected ballistic missile.

“The South Korean military is maintaining a readiness posture by monitoring related movements in preparation for additional launches,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it condemns North Korea’s ballistic missile launch, calling on the reclusive regime to forgo further destabilizing acts.

The missile was launched from the Sunan region close to the capital Pyongyang, said the statement.

Japan’s Coast Guard alarmed its vessels, saying “possible ballistic missile(s) has been launched from North Korea.”

“We advise vessels are to pay attention to further information, and if they observe any falling objects, do not approach and report relevant information to the Japan Coast Guard,” it said.

South Korea’s National Security Council will hold a crisis meeting Saturday morning, South Korea’s Presidential Office said in a statement.

International pressure has been ascending over a new series of North Korean ballistic missile tests, activities long prohibited by the United Nations Security Council.

This marks North Korea’s 10th rocket test in 2022. January saw a record number of such tests, with no less than seven send-offs during the month including another kind of “hypersonic rocket” ready to move rapidly.

Examiners recommend the expanded testing this year shows Kim is both endeavoring to meet domestic objectives and show an inexorably fierce world that Pyongyang stays a player in the battle for power and impact.

Saturday’s launch comes only days before the South Korean presidential election on March 9, in which North Korea is probably going to be a vital electoral issue.

The launch was the ninth this year. The last was on Feb. 27 when North Korea said it tested systems for a reconnaissance satellite.

The South Korean military said Saturday’s launch came from a location close to Sunan, where Pyongyang’s international airport is found. The region has been the site of past tests, including the Feb. 27 launch.

On Friday, the U.S.- based 38 North project, which monitors North Korea, said the country’s main nuclear facility is in full swing, creating fuel for expected nuclear weapons and a development of its nuclear production facilities.