North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile After Rejecting Seoul’s Call For Dialogu

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, just days after Seoul demanded an apology from Pyongyang over a mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area and travelled more than 700 kilometres (435 miles) toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

“South Korea, the US, and Japan are maintaining a robust defense posture through close information sharing regarding North Korean ballistic missiles,” the JCS said.

The launch came a day after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed Seoul’s demand for an apology over last month’s DMZ explosion and described South Korea as “really despicable.”

North Korea Denies Responsibility For DMZ Blast

Seoul and the US-led United Nations Command have concluded that the explosion inside the heavily mined DMZ was caused by North Korean mines that had been laid on the South Korean side of the border.

The blast wounded three South Korean soldiers. South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said the mines were believed to have been planted as part of Pyongyang’s efforts to reinforce and fortify its side of the border.

North Korea has denied responsibility for the explosion and rejected Seoul’s demand for an apology.

Pyongyang has also been expanding minefields and constructing anti-tank barriers along the border as part of efforts to permanently seal the frontier. The moves follow Kim Jong Un’s 2024 designation of South Korea as North Korea’s “principal enemy.”

Seoul’s Push For Dialogue Rebuffed

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on Pyongyang to return to dialogue on Thursday, despite the military’s demand for an apology over the DMZ incident a day earlier.

Kim Yo Jong mocked the overture, describing Seoul’s efforts as “the climax of the farce that everyone should watch.” She also called the military’s demand for an apology “quite ridiculous.”

She further warned that Pyongyang was “ready for anything” Seoul might do in response to the mine blast.

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young separately proposed talks with North Korea on Friday to discuss issues along the border. Kim Yo Jong dismissed the proposal as a “wild dream and unilateral jargon.”

‘Escalating’ Tensions

Analysts said the latest missile launch could be interpreted as a demonstration of military strength and a rejection of Seoul’s renewed diplomatic overtures.

“Seoul called for easing tensions, but Pyongyang answered by escalating them,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

He said the launch conveyed a message that North Korea was pursuing confrontation despite South Korea’s attempts at engagement.

South Korea’s defence minister said Tuesday that the military had “a range of necessary measures at our disposal” and would implement them in stages in response to the DMZ incident, without specifying what those measures would entail.

Trump’s Outreach Raises Concerns In Seoul

The latest tensions come as US President Donald Trump has renewed overtures toward Pyongyang, raising concerns in South Korea that Seoul could be sidelined if Washington and North Korea resume nuclear negotiations.

South Korea’s opposition People Power Party also criticised President Lee on Friday, accusing him of failing to respond firmly to North Korea over the DMZ incident while taking a tougher stance toward Russia and North Korea over the Ukraine war.

“South Korean soldiers have been injured, and far from receiving an apology, we have been mocked by North Korea,” the opposition party said.

The party questioned whether what it described as a selective approach toward North Korea would protect South Korea’s dignity or the safety of its citizens.