North Korea fires ballistic missile as DMZ mine tensions flare with Seoul

North Korea launched a ballistic missile Saturday from the Wonsan area on its east coast, South Korea’s military said, deepening a standoff over a late-September landmine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone that wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launch early Saturday toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and said the missile flew more than 700 kilometres before landing at sea, according to France 24 (with AFP) and Yonhap News Agency. Yonhap reported detection around 6:30 a.m. local time; the type was not confirmed, though officials left open the possibility of a medium- or intermediate-range missile flown on a reduced trajectory similar to an Aug. 12 Wonsan test. South Korea, the United States and Japan said they were sharing information and maintaining a combined defence posture. The launch followed Friday remarks by Kim Yo Jong — sister of leader Kim Jong Un — calling Seoul “really despicable,” denying North Korean responsibility for the Sept. 21 DMZ mine explosion, and mocking President Lee Jae Myung’s dialogue overtures as a “climax of the farce.” Seoul and the U.S.-led United Nations Command have said North Korean mines laid on the southern side caused the blast; Pyongyang rejects that finding. Analyst Yang Moo-jin told AFP the missile would be read as escalation answering Seoul’s call to ease tensions. The flare-up also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent overtures to Pyongyang raise South Korean concerns about being sidelined in any nuclear talks. Sources: France 24; Yonhap News Agency.