North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’: South Korea

SCMP | Aug. 6, 2026, 4:43 a.m. | Original

The launch came a day after Pyongyang accused Japan of turning ‘into a war state’ as Tokyo beefs up its military stance in the Pacific

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People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul in April. Photo: AFP

North Korea fired at least one “unidentified projectile” over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul’s military said, with Tokyo reporting it as a possible launch of a ballistic missile.
The latest launch came a day after Pyongyang accused Japan of “transformation into a war state” as Tokyo beefs up its military stance in the Pacific.

“North Korea fires unidentified projectile towards East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to news organisations, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

“Something that may be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea,” Japan’s defence ministry posted on social media.

A separate post shortly afterwards said “there is no longer any impact on the areas around Japan”.

Tokyo’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said earlier this week the country’s military needs to be boosted with a “sense of urgency and crisis”, as a new government assessment warned of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

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