North Korea Fired An 'Unidentified Projectile Eastward', Month After Carrying Out 7 Weapons Tests

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the Republic of Korea said in a statement that North Korea "North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward".

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test on February 27, 2022, after North Korea fired an "unidentified projectile" according to the South's military. (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

New Delhi: North Korea has fired an “unidentified projectile eastward”, South Korea’s military said Sunday morning, news agency AFP reported. The incident occurred after a seemingly quiet month without launches during the Beijing Olympics.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the Republic of Korea said in a statement that North Korea "North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward," according to an AFP report. The JCS did not give any further details, the report said.

In January, Pyongyang carried out an unprecedented seven weapons tests, including its most powerful missile since 2017. 

Pyongyang, the capital and largest city of North Korea, carried out an unprecedented seven weapons tests in January, the report said. These tests included its most powerful missile since 2017. 

In 2017, Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011, had baited then-US President Donald Trump with a spate of provocative launches in 2017. 

However, analysts have said that the North paused testing during the Beijing Winter Games, possibly out of deference to only major ally China, according to the AFP report.

Last month, North Korea warned that it could abandon its self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear and long-range weapons, according to the report. These weapons have been on hold since 2017.

South Korea is gearing up to elect its next president on March 9. 

According to the AFP report, experts say that Pyongyang could use the next key anniversary of North Korea, on April 15,  to carry out a major weapons test. The 110th birthday of  Kim Il Sung, who was the founder of North Korea, will be the country’s next key anniversary.