North Korea fires missile hours after Kim rejects Seoul apology — SkimNews
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- North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area at approximately 6:30am Saturday, flying more than 700km toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan), according to South Korea's military
- Kim Yo-jong dismissed Seoul's apology demand as 'really despicable' and ridiculed President Lee Jae Myung's dialogue overture as 'the climax of the farce,' warning Pyongyang was 'ready for anything' over the mine blast
- South Korea's national security council convened an emergency meeting Saturday, with the military heightening monitoring posture and committing to coordinate intelligence with the US and Japan
- The mine blast injured three South Korean soldiers on a reconnaissance mission inside the 4km-wide DMZ buffer zone; Lee demanded an apology Thursday but also urged Pyongyang to return to dialogue
- Cheong Seong-chang, vice-president at the Sejong Institute, said the launch may have been timed to draw a response to Kim Yo-jong's statement, or alternatively to test a new missile type
- North Korea has conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions so far in 2025, with some launches following protests against joint US-South Korea military drills
Why it matters: The 700km launch came within hours of Kim Yo-jong's statement, coupling Pyongyang's military signaling directly to a specific diplomatic provocation rather than the usual annual drill cycle. Lee Jae Myung is confronting the same trap as his predecessors: seeking dialogue while Kim Yo-jong publicly humiliates the overture, with three wounded soldiers in the DMZ and an unanswered apology demand as the unresolved flashpoint.
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