By The South Asia Times

TOKYO - North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile on Thursday, Japan's Defense Ministry confirmed, marking the third such launch this month and coming just one day after senior official Kim Yo-jong issued a stark warning to Japan of an "immediate, devastating strike" if it made the "wrong choice".

The projectile is believed to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to Japanese defense officials, with no immediate reports of damage, according to Kyodo News.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the North fired approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles eastward from the Pyongyang area.

The launch came just hours after US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year, stating that getting along with the reclusive leader is "a good thing".

On Wednesday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong-un and a department director at the Workers' Party's Central Committee, issued a sweeping statement warning Japan against military expansion, dismissing U.S.-South Korea military drill reductions as meaningless, and reaffirming Pyongyang's support for Russia.

"Our military leadership has already begun to consider deterring and suppressing the threat from Japan, which is turning into a serious security challenge, or taking even tougher measures as part of its military strategy," Kim stated in remarks carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

"If Japan attempts to make a wrong choice, it will face an immediate, devastating strike," she warned, adding that Japan's military buildup is a "suicidal act" and "adding fuel to the fire" .

Kim also addressed President Trump's recent decision to shorten US-South Korea joint military exercises, describing the move as "completely uninteresting" and arguing that reducing the scale or duration "does not change the nature of military exercises that are provocative and aggressive" .

She pointed to numerous joint exercises conducted throughout the year as evidence that the recent reduction was "more than sufficiently replaced" by previous drills.

President Trump, when asked about Kim Yo-jong's remarks during a press availability at the White House on Wednesday, reiterated that he gets along well with Kim Jong-un. "I know Kim Jong-un very well, and he's going to be fine as long as we have a smart president," Trump said.

Trump also confirmed that Kim had responded to his overture for dialogue, describing their exchange as "very positive," though he did not elaborate on the nature of their communication.

The missile launch on Thursday underscores the persistent volatility on the Korean Peninsula, with Pyongyang continuing its weapons testing even as diplomatic overtures between Trump and Kim appear to be underway. The launches also come amid ongoing US-South Korea military drills, which are set to end Friday after Trump's order to substantially reduce U.S. participation.