North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Ahead of US and South Korea Military Drills
17 sources across 10 countries · 2 of them are linked to a state
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Asahi Shimbun
- Kyodo News
- The Japan Times
- The Hankyoreh
- Yonhap
- The Korea Herald
- Le Monde
- France 24
- South China Morning Post
- Tempo English
- Aftenposten
- Al Jazeera
- Reuters
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday morning, marking its second launch in less than a week. The projectile was launched from the Wonsan area around 6 a.m. and traveled more than 700 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of approximately 90 kilometers before falling into the sea. The Japanese Defense Ministry stated that the missile likely fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. No damage or injuries were reported, and the US military for the Pacific region assessed that the launch posed no immediate threat to US personnel or the territories of its allies.
The launch occurred shortly before the scheduled start of the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which are set to run from August 17 to 27. South Korean and US authorities are analyzing the specifications of the missile, while Japan, the US, and South Korea are coordinating their intelligence. This event marks North Korea's 11th ballistic missile launch this year. Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi condemned the launch as a threat to regional peace and security, noting that Tokyo lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang through diplomatic channels in Beijing.
Outlets with a center lean generally reported the event as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a threat to regional stability. Center-right sources emphasized the strategic threat to the region and the necessity of the US and South Korean drills for defense. Center-left and left-leaning sources highlighted North Korea's perspective, noting that Pyongyang views the upcoming joint military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.
How each side framed it
- Left
- Framed the launch as a response to the upcoming US and South Korean military exercises.
- Centre-left
- Highlighted the cyclical nature of the provocations and North Korea's view of the drills as invasion rehearsals.
- Centre
- Focused on the factual details of the launch and the violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
- Centre-right
- Emphasized the threat to regional security and the importance of the US and South Korean alliance.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: North Korea has launched a presumed ballistic missile
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: N Korea launches ballistic missile as S Korea, US plan military drills
- Centre-left Asahi Shimbun: North Korea launches ballistic missile, likely fell outside EEZ; Japanese government strongly condemns
- Centre Bloomberg: North Korea Fires Another Missile as US Military Drills Near
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: North Korea fires ballistic missile again: Neighbors warn of risks of unannounced tests
- Centre Deutsche Welle: North Korea tests missile ahead of US-South Korea drills
- Centre France 24: North Korea: new ballistic missile launch before Seoul and Washington maneuvers
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Weapon test: North Korea fires ballistic missile again
- Centre Kyodo News: N. Korea fires ballistic missile, believed to have fallen outside Japan EEZ
- Centre-left Le Monde: North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, according to Seoul, its second in a week
- Centre Reuters: North Korea fires missile ahead of major US-South Korea drills - Reuters
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Japan slams North Korea’s ballistic missile firing ahead of US-Seoul drills
- Centre-left Tempo English: North Korea Tests Missile Ahead of US-South Korea Drills
- Left The Hankyoreh: North Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea ahead of next week’s US-SK drills
- Centre The Japan Times: North Korea fires off second missile in less than a week
- Centre-right The Korea Herald: North Korea fires ballistic missile into East Sea: JCS
- Centre-right The Korea Herald: Presidential office labels N. Korea's missile launch as provocation, urges immediate halt
- Centre Yonhap: Presidential office labels N. Korea's missile launch as provocation, urges immediate halt
- Centre Yonhap: (URGENT) N. Korea fired at least 1 ballistic missile from Wonsan area: S. Korean military
- Centre Yonhap: (2nd LD) N. Korea fires 1 ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military
- Centre Yonhap: (EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Aug. 12)
- Centre Yonhap: N. Korea fires unidentified projectile eastward: S. Korean military
- Centre Yonhap: (URGENT) N. Korea's latest ballistic missile flew more than 700 km: S. Korean military
- Centre Yonhap: (URGENT) N. Korea fires unidentified projectile eastward: S. Korean military
- Centre Yonhap: (LEAD) N. Korea fires at least 1 ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military
- Centre Yonhap: (3rd LD) N. Korea conducts another missile launch ahead of key S. Korea-U.S. military drills
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.