Explained: North Korea conducts ballistic missile test days before US and South Korea begin drills

North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday

short-range ballistic missile

A missile with a limited range, typically under 1,000 km, following a ballistic trajectory

Joint Chiefs of Staff

South Korea's top military command body

U.N. Security Council resolutions

International rules that ban North Korea from launching ballistic missiles

tactical ballistic missile

A ballistic missile designed for shorter-range battlefield use, as opposed to strategic long-range missiles

denuclearization

The process of eliminating nuclear weapons, a precondition the U.S. has demanded of North Korea