North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Thursday as it warned the United States of a “harder military response” to Washington’s strengthened defense ties with South Korea and Japan amid rising regional tensions.   

  In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said that strengthening US extended deterrence to allies in the region “is a gamble he will surely regret.”   

  The larger the US defense presence in the region, “the tougher (North Korea’s) military response will be, in direct proportion to it,” Choe said.   

  “The US will be well aware that they are playing, which they will certainly regret,” Choe said, adding that recent large-scale joint military exercises between the US and its allies had “failed” to contain North Korea’s retaliation.   

  The KCNA statement said the warning was in response to trilateral talks between the US, South Korea and Japan on Sunday during the ASEAN summit.  At the meeting, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the extended deterrence and defense of South Korea and Japan with a “full range of capabilities”, including nuclear weapons.   

  Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been rising steadily this year, with South Korea and the US responding to Pyongyang’s missile tests by stepping up joint exercises and military exercises, as well as their own missile tests.   

  On Thursday, South Korea and the US held a missile defense drill, through which the two countries reaffirmed their firm joint defense posture, according to South Korea’s defense ministry.   

  Later Thursday, South Korea’s General Staff said North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile from the Wonsan area of ​​Kangwon Province at about 10:48 a.m.  local time.   

  It said the missile, which landed in waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, had a flight range of about 240 kilometers (149 miles), reached an altitude of about 47 kilometers (29 miles) and hit a top speed of about Mach 4 – indicating that traveled four times the speed of sound, the General Staff said.   

  The South Korean military has stepped up its surveillance and is working closely with the United States, the Joint Chiefs added.   

  Japan’s defense ministry said no missiles landed on Japanese soil or in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to a statement on Thursday.  Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Tokyo continues to “collect and analyze necessary information and closely monitor North Korea’s military trends in close cooperation with the United States and South Korea.”   

  This marks the 33rd day this year that North Korea has conducted a missile test, according to CNN’s count.  The tally includes both ballistic and cruise missiles.  Instead, he only played four tests in 2020 and eight in 2021.   

  US and international monitors have warned for months that North Korea appears to be preparing for an underground nuclear test, with satellite images showing activity at the nuclear test site.  Such a test would be the hermit nation’s first in five years.