North Korea has conducted another weapons test, according to the South Korean military and Japan. It is the eighth this year.

According to Japan and South Korean military, North Korea has once again tested the missile. As the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported, citing the government in Tokyo, it could be a ballistic missile.

According to the South Korean General Staff, an unidentified projectile was fired into the sea off the east coast.

South Korea and Japan condemn new test

South Korea and Japan each called emergency meetings and condemned the new test, which the country, like all ballistic and nuclear weapons, has banned by a UN resolution. Japan also opposed the latest test through the Japanese embassy in Beijing – Japan has no diplomatic ties with North Korea.

This is the first test after a nearly four-week halt and does not surprise observers in South Korea. The communist regime was expected not to test missiles during the Beijing Olympics to isolate its key ally, but to resume before upcoming presidential elections in the neighboring country. Furthermore, the testing window now seems favorable for North Korea as the world grapples with the Ukraine crisis.

Last medium-range missile test fired

North Korea has already tested seven missiles since the beginning of the year, including a more recent medium-range missile. With the test of the medium-range missile, it recently surpassed previous weapons tests this year. The country had previously tested short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and, according to its own statements, hypersonic missiles that can fly at more than five times the speed of sound.

With information from Katherine Erdman, ARD Studio Beijing.