朝鲜于8月12日早晨从元山地区向东海发射弹道导弹[1]，这是不到一周内的第二次试射[1]。此次发射时机敏感，恰逢美国和韩国宣布将于8月17日启动年度联合军事演习前两天[1]。日本防卫大臣锦织信二将此举定性为"对该地区和平与安全的威胁"[1]。日本、美国和韩国正对该导弹进行联合分析，导弹估计已落入日本专属经济区外[1]。
朝鲜此前在8月6日曾发射短程弹道导弹，这是自6月末以来首次弹道武器试验[1]。朝鲜将美韩联合军事演习视为入侵排练，庆南大学朝鲜问题专家Lim Eul-chul表示："朝鲜从未让韩美联合军事演习不做出回应"[1]。去年军演后，金正恩曾声称演习"表现出首尔和华盛顿点燃战争的意愿"[1]。
North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the Wonsan region toward the East Sea on the morning of August 12, marking the second such test within a week [1]. The launch occurred at approximately 6:00 a.m. UTC on Tuesday, just two days before the United States and South Korea announced the start of their annual joint military exercises scheduled for August 17 [1].
This missile test follows an earlier launch on August 6, which was the first ballistic weapons test by North Korea since the end of June [1]. Japan, the United States, and South Korea are conducting a joint analysis of the projectile, which is estimated to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone [1]. Japan's Defense Minister Nishikori Shinji characterized the action as "a threat to peace and security in our region" [1].
The timing of the provocations reflects Pyongyang's consistent pattern of responding to joint drills between Washington and Seoul. According to Lim Eul-chul, a North Korean specialist at Gyeongnam University, "North Korea has never failed to respond to US-South Korea joint military exercises" [1]. North Korea views such exercises as invasion rehearsals [1], and following similar drills last year, Kim Jong Un claimed the exercises "demonstrated Seoul and Washington's willingness to ignite war" [1].