North Korea fired a suspected short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on November 7. The U.S. condemned the launch as destabilizing and reaffirmed its readiness to defend allies, while Russia defended it as a legitimate right. South Korea's presidential office held an emergency meeting to review response measures.
North Korea launched one suspected short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea just past noon on November 7, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missile flew approximately 700 km. This marks the second short-range ballistic missile test since October 22 and the sixth ballistic missile launch this year.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement, saying, "We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners." It added, "While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK's actions. The U.S. remains ready to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region."
Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by RIA Novosti, defended the launch, stating, "We respect the legitimate right of our friends in North Korea to ensure their own security and take the necessary measures to do so." He also said Russia welcomes peacekeeping measures on the Korean Peninsula that align with North Korea's interests. The launch followed North Korea's warning of proper measures against recent U.S. sanctions targeting eight individuals and two entities for cybercrime-related money laundering.
South Korea's Office of National Security held an emergency meeting to review response measures and instructed relevant agencies to take necessary actions. It urged Pyongyang to cease actions threatening peace on the Korean Peninsula and condemned the launches as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The office immediately reported the incident to President Lee Jae Myung.
The timing echoes North Korea's October 22 launches ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea.
