North Korea fires possible missile into sea, say Japan and South Korea

North Korea said on Thursday it has successfully launched a hypersonic missile as part of efforts to modernise its strategic weapons systems (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

North Korea on Tuesday fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into its eastern sea, its second weapons launch in a week, the militaries of South Korea and Japan said.

This month’s launches follow a series of weapons tests in 2021 that underscored how North Korea continues to expand its military capabilities during a self-imposed pandemic lockdown and deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States.