On May 25, North Korea test fired three missiles toward the country’s eastern waters. One of the missiles appeared to be North Korea’s Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). South Korean defense officials said that the missile flew only 360 km, which is significantly shorter than its full range. The launches occurred just after President Biden completed a trip to South Korea and Japan. Later the same day, the United States and Japan conducted a joint fighter jet exercise over the Sea of Japan. According to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the exercise was intended to “showcase combined capabilities to deter and counter regional threats.”
