North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile on Sunday towards the East Sea, in what appears to be a show of force ahead of a summit between South Korea and Japan that is set to take place later this week.
The missile, reportedly a Hwasong-15, was launched from Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province in the early hours of Sunday morning and flew eastward, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The JCS said the missile flew around 950 kilometers before landing in the waters off Japan’s coast.
The missile launch is the first since North Korea conducted a series of missile tests in 2017. It comes as South Korea and Japan are set to meet in Seoul this week for a two-day summit to discuss security and economic cooperation.
North Korea is believed to be sending a message to both countries ahead of the summit, as well as to the United States amid stalled negotiations over its nuclear program.