▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) walks with military officials as he observes the Hwasong-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile being test-fired at an unspecified location on April 19, 2026, to verify the characteristics and power of a cluster bomb warhead and fragmentation mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(ATTN: ADDS unification ministry's comments in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Friday did not report on its launch of a short-range ballistic missile from the previous day, a departure from its usual practice of announcing such launches the following morning.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read newspaper in the country, had made no mention of the launch as of 8 a.m.

But this was not without precedent, as Pyongyang has previously withheld reports on launches it considers minor or lacking propaganda value.

South Korea's military detected the missile launch from North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan at around 5 p.m. It did not disclose the missile's flight distance and other details.

The launch came ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield, an annual South Korea-U.S. military exercise that Pyongyang has decried as a rehearsal for invasion.

The North last tested a tactical ballistic missile, along with new multiple rocket launchers and other weapons, on June 25. Thursday's launch was the North's 10th this year.

The unification ministry said there have been "several cases" in which North Korea did not report on missile launches.

"We do not consider it a case of particular concern, but we will refrain from prejudging North Korea's intentions and continue to watch the situation closely," Chang Yoon-jeong, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, said at a regular briefing.

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