North Korea fires ballistic missile as Kim Yo Jong rules out reconciliation

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on October 2 from the port city of Wonsan that flew more than 700 kilometres into the sea, prompting Japan to issue an emergency alert and South Korea to raise its military alert status. The launch follows Kim Yo Jong's rejection of Seoul's apology demands over landmine blasts that injured South Korean soldiers, with Kim declaring the North intends “permanent separation” from the South. The US Pacific Command called the launch no immediate threat to American forces, but Kim's language closes off reconciliation rhetoric the North had at least nominally kept open in recent years.

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