North Korea launches another unknown projectile

SEOUL—North Korea launched an unknown projectile off its east coast on Thursday, the military in Seoul said, as the Kim Jong Un regime continues its spree of recent weapons activity.

The type of projectile, location of the launch site and other details weren’t immediately shared. Japan’s defense ministry detected a possible ballistic missile launch, its coast guard said in an alert.

Before Thursday, Pyongyang had conducted 10 missile tests this year — more than in all of 2021. Two of its more recent launches featured parts of North Korea’s next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile system, US, South Korean and Japanese officials have said. The Kim regime has described that activity as being related to its ongoing development of a military reconnaissance satellite.

A North Korean missile test last week failed, as the projectile exploded shortly after being launched from the outskirts of Pyongyang, the South Korean military said. The Kim regime also test-fired multiple rounds of artillery over the weekend.

The artillery fires and the unsuccessful launch weren’t mentioned by North Korean state media, which often publicizes successful tests.

Write to Timothy W Martin at timothy.martin@wsj.com