South Korea’s military reported that North Korea fired a short-range missile toward its eastern waters Thursday, just hours after it threatened to launch “fiercer,” military responses to the US in strengthening its security commitment to its allies South Korea, Japan, and South Korea.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the military in South Korea detected the launch at 10:48am local. According to it, South Korea has increased its surveillance of North Korea and maintained a military readiness and close coordination with the United States.

This was North Korea’s first ballistic-missile firing in eight days, and its latest test in the barrage of recent tests.

North Korea claimed that some of the tests were simulations for nuclear attacks against South Korean or US targets. Experts believe that North Korea will eventually seek to increase its nuclear capabilities to win more concessions from its competitors.

Choe Son Hue, the North Korean foreign minister, warned earlier on Thursday that tensions on Korea’s peninsula would be “more unpredictable” after the recent US-South Korea–Japan agreement.

Choe’s declaration was North Korea’s official response to President Joe Biden’s trilateral summit in Cambodia with his South Korean, Japanese and Japanese counterparts on Sunday. The three leaders condemned North Korea’s latest missile tests in a joint statement and pledged to work together to improve deterrence.

Biden reiterated his resolve to defend South Korea, Japan, and all of its capabilities at the summit.

Choe stated that the more provocative and bluffing US military activities are intensified by its allies, the stronger [North Korea’s] counteraction will be.”

“The USA will be aware of its gambling activities, which it will regret.”

North Korea insists that its recent weapon tests were legitimate military responses to military drills between the US and South Korean forces. It considers this a precursor for an invasion. Washington and Seoul both claimed that the exercises were defensive in nature.

As a result of North Korea’s desire to expand its nuclear and missile arsenals, South Korean and U.S. soldiers have increased their regular exercises and resumed trilateral joint training with Japan.

As part of its efforts to increase its military capabilities against the United States, there have been concerns that North Korea could conduct its first nuclear attack in five years. Officials from the US and South Korea claim that North Korea is now ready to carry out a nuclear explosion at a remote facility.

Experts believe the test would be used to create nuclear warheads that could be attached to short-range missiles capable to hit key targets in South Korea including US military bases. They believe North Korea will eventually use its increased arsenal to press the United States to make concessions in future negotiations.