North Korea test-fired a new high-altitude long-range antiaircraft (air-defense) missile into the East Sea on the 24th. Kim Jong-un observed the launch.
On the 25th, the Korean Central News Agency said it was "the first test launch for a tactical and technical evaluation of a high-altitude long-range antiaircraft missile system under development," and reported that "the launched missiles struck and destroyed a simulated high-altitude target at the 200-kilometer line."
It added, "The test was part of the normal activities of the Missile General Bureau and antiaircraft weapons systems research institutes under it for the technological advancement of national antiaircraft defense assets." Kim Jong-un congratulated the test launch's success.
The military authorities did not disclose the North's missile launch the previous day. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, "We detected signs of a North Korean missile launch in advance and were prepared," adding, "At around 5 p.m. (the previous day), we detected several rounds believed to be surface-to-air missiles launched from the area of Seondeok in South Hamgyong Province toward the East Sea." The detailed specifications are being closely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, "Under a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, we are closely watching North Korea's various moves and maintaining the capability and posture to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation."