By The South Asia Times

SEOUL - North Korea fired at least one short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday, just hours after senior official Kim Yo Jong issued a stark warning that Pyongyang would establish "additional military options" in response to Japan's military expansion.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea's east coast at approximately 5:00 p.m., with the number of missiles fired not immediately confirmed.

Japan's Defense Ministry detected the launch, stating the projectile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, with no impact reported on Japanese territory.

The launch marks Pyongyang's first weapons test in over a month. The previous test occurred on June 25, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the firing of tactical ballistic missiles and upgraded multiple rocket launchers coinciding with the anniversary of the Korean War.

On Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong, department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a blistering statement condemning Japan's recent military activities, including a test-fire of Tomahawk cruise missiles and participation in U.S.-led drills in the Philippines. She accused Japan of accelerating its transformation into a "war state" and called its missile deployments "the prelude to the possession of the capability for preemptive attack".

"There is no guarantee that Japan, a war criminal state which has gradually made a political, military and legal footing for reinvasion, will not inflict tragic disaster upon humankind again," Kim said in the statement. She declared that North Korea's armed forces "will set up additional military options" due to Japan's military transformation.

The launch comes amid heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. Kim Yo Jong's warning followed Japan's release of its "Defense of Japan 2026" white paper, which identified China as Tokyo's "greatest strategic challenge" and outlined plans for developing long-range offensive capabilities. North Korean state media has also warned that U.S.-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is creating a "new security crisis" in the region.

South Korea's military said it is maintaining a full readiness posture in coordination with the United States and Japan. Japan's government has ordered relevant ministries to ensure the safety of airplanes and ships while gathering additional information on the launch