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North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile and other weapons toward the sea Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, days after the leaders of Russia and China voiced opposition to Western pressure on North Korea.

The missile, fired from Jongju near North Korea’s west coast, flew about 80 kilometers (50 miles), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said North Korea also launched other projectiles but did not provide details.

South Korean media, citing the military, reported the other weapons included multiple rocket launch systems. The reports said the simultaneous launches were likely intended to test an ability to evade South Korean and U.S. defenses.

South Korea’s military said it was closely monitoring North Korean activity.

It was North Korea’s first weapons launch since April 19, when it fired multiple short-range missiles in what state media described as a demonstration of cluster bomb warheads.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on modernizing his nuclear and missile arsenals since his nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In recent years, Kim has expanded ties with Russia by sending troops and conventional arms to support its war against Ukraine. He has also sought closer cooperation with China, North Korea’s main economic partner.

China’s coast guard and its Taiwanese counterpart faced off over the weekend near Dongsha, a Taiwan-administered island in the South China Sea, according to Taiwanese officials.

Taiwan’s coast guard said in a Sunday news release that the 5,500-ton Chinese patrol vessel CCG-3501 was spotted heading toward Dongsha on Saturday morning.

Taiwan’s 1,000-ton patrol vessel Taichung approached after the Chinese ship entered waters Taiwan claims from 12 to 24 nautical miles offshore, the release said.

The two vessels exchanged radio warnings in Chinese and English, each asserting jurisdiction and ordering the other to leave, according to Taiwan’s coast guard. The standoff continued through Sunday morning.

“The Chinese vessel arrogantly claimed that China has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Dongsha Islands,” Taiwan’s coast guard said of a Chinese radio message.

The Taiwanese vessel broadcast back: “Your actions prove that China’s peace is a scam. The international community will not support you. Please do not destroy peace; you should return and fight for democracy.”

The standoff ended after 33 hours, the Taipei Times reported Monday, citing the coast guard.

Dongsha, also known as Pratas, is a coral atoll administered by Taiwan and claimed by China. It is about 280 miles southwest of Kaohsiung and is garrisoned by about 300 Taiwanese coast guard personnel, according to the agency.

Taiwan also controls Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, about 900 miles southwest of Kaohsiung, where another 200 coast guard personnel are stationed, the agency reported.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, putting it at odds with neighboring governments. China has built military facilities in the disputed waters.

The two sides reached a “provisional understanding” in July 2024 that reduced dangerous encounters during Philippine resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense published a plan Tuesday to develop nuclear-powered submarines under the Jang Bogo N Project, a long-discussed effort that would expand the country’s naval capabilities and place it among a small group of nations operating such vessels.

The ministry said the submarines would offer “dramatically enhanced operational capabilities” over South Korea’s diesel-electric fleet, including effectively unlimited range and higher mobility. It said the boats “will play a core role in responding to threats such as North Korea’s submarine-launched nuclear and missile threats.”

South Korea has discussed nuclear-powered submarines since at least 2003, but the plan had faced opposition, including from the United States, over proliferation concerns. In October, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had approved the plan, saying, “Our Military Alliance is stronger than ever before and, based on that, I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble diesel powered submarines that they have now.”

Trump also said some boats would be built in the United States. South Korea’s ministry did not mention that possibility and emphasized domestic development, though the United States could still play a role in propulsion-related support. Last year, South Korea’s defense minister said the country would build its own submarines and modular reactors, while receiving enriched uranium fuel from the United States. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said South Korea was already developing small nuclear reactors.

The fuel issue is significant because a bilateral agreement bars South Korea from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel without U.S. approval. The announcement indicates Washington has approved the project.