North Korea fired off an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Monday in its first launch of the year, the South Korean military said, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Seoul for what was likely his final visit to the region as top diplomat.
South Korea's military said in a statement that the North had fired off what it believed was an IRBM toward the Sea of Japan from the Pyongyang area at around noon, with the weapon traveling some 1,100 kilometers (683 miles).
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that allied intelligence authorities had monitored the North's preparations for the missile launch and "immediately detected and tracked" it, sharing relevant information with Japan.
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