North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast toward the Sea of Japan early Wednesday, Aug. 12 – just over a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Pyongyang’s growing combat experience alongside Russia could pose an increasing threat to Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at around 6 a.m. local time and flew roughly 700 kilometers before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to South Korean and Japanese authorities.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Our military detected at around 6:00 am a ballistic missile launched by North Korea from the Wonsan area towards the East Sea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. Japan’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the launch, while Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels and condemned the launch. The missile reached a maximum altitude of about 90 kilometers before falling into the sea, according to Japanese authorities. The launch comes days before South Korea and the US begin the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, major joint drills aimed at strengthening their ability to respond to North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile capabilities. The exercises are scheduled to run from Aug. 17 to 27 and will include around 18,000 South Korean troops alongside personnel from the roughly 28,500 US troops stationed in the country.