North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Friday, November 7, South Korea’s military said, about a week after US President Donald Trump approved Seoul’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine. Analysts had warned the move would almost certainly provoke a strong reaction from Pyongyang.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched toward the East Sea and later fell into waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said no damage or injuries were reported.
Russia defended the launch, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying North Korea had the “legitimate right” to take steps it considers necessary for its security. Pyongyang has become an increasingly important partner for Moscow as Russia continues its war in Ukraine.
Japan, however, condemned the launch unequivocally, calling North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile tests “absolutely unforgivable”. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the provocations showed the need to accelerate Japan’s defence upgrades, adding that no option would be ruled out when considering future measures.
The missile was fired at 12:35 pm local time from an area north of Pyongyang and travelled roughly 700 kilometres, according to Seoul’s military. North Korea has dramatically stepped up its missile testing in recent years, a pattern analysts say is aimed at refining precision strike capabilities, pressuring the United States and South Korea, and testing weapons that could potentially be supplied to Russia.
Ahn Chan-il, a defector and researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said Pyongyang would see South Korea’s plan for a nuclear-powered submarine as a serious threat. Such a vessel, he noted, could patrol near North Korean waters for extended periods and monitor or intercept submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Trump said South Korea would build the submarine in the United States, though Seoul has indicated it is considering constructing it domestically. Unlike diesel-powered submarines, nuclear-powered vessels can stay submerged for far longer, making them significantly more difficult to detect.
Only a handful of countries have developed nuclear-powered submarines, including the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France, India and Australia.
Since talks between Kim Jong Un and Trump collapsed in 2019 over the scope of sanctions relief and denuclearisation, North Korea has repeatedly described itself as an “irreversible” nuclear state. Kim has been emboldened in recent years by deepening ties with Moscow, strengthened after he sent thousands of troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine.
Pyongyang did not respond to Trump’s offer last week to meet again. Instead, North Korea’s foreign minister traveled to Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin, where both sides agreed to expand their cooperation.
Kim has also appeared publicly beside Putin and China’s Xi Jinping at major military events, signalling his elevated status among powers opposed to Western influence.
Trump met Kim three times during his first term, once saying their relationship had grown so warm they had “fallen in love”, but no lasting agreement on North Korea’s nuclear programme was ever reached.
This week, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said Seoul’s intelligence agency believes Kim remains open to dialogue with the United States and may seek talks when conditions are favourable. He added that while last week’s proposed meeting with Trump did not materialise, there were “multiple signs” that Pyongyang had been preparing behind the scenes for potential engagement.
