North Korea Launches Suspected Long-Range Ballistic Missile, South Reports

North Korea has fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The launch comes after North Korea threatened to shoot down US military reconnaissance planes. The missile launch and fiery rhetoric coincide with heightened tensions as Washington and Seoul increase defense cooperation and leaders from South Korea, Japan, and the United States attend a NATO summit. North Korea has shown no willingness to engage in negotiations, and experts believe the country is inflating external threats to rally domestic support and disrupt diplomatic coordination against it.