[Edaily Reporter Kim Sang-yoon ] The National Security Office at the Blue House held an emergency security situation review meeting on the 20th regarding North Korea’s launch of a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea.

The National Security Office announced that it held a meeting that day, attended by relevant agencies including the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to review the South Korean military’s response. Participants analyzed and assessed the impact of this launch on South Korea’s security and reviewed necessary measures.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area that afternoon. Military authorities are analyzing the missile’s flight distance, altitude, and other technical specifications.
This marks North Korea’s first ballistic missile launch in eight days, following the one on the 12th. On that occasion, North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles the day after “Freedom Edge,” a regular multi-domain exercise involving South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, concluded.
Two days later, North Korea claimed through state-run media that the launch was part of a firepower strike drill involving cruise and ballistic missiles, multiple rocket launchers, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The government emphasized the need to maintain a thorough state of readiness in response to North Korea’s launch of another ballistic missile just over a week later.
The government stated, “North Korea’s ballistic missile launch is a grave act that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions,” adding, “We urge North Korea to immediately cease such actions.”