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The Taegeukgi flutters over a relatively quiet Cheong Wa Dae on Dec. 28 last year, a day before the presidential office's return to the compound. The presidential standard, Bonghwanggi, is scheduled to be hoisted at midnight on the 29th. The photo shows the view of Cheong Wa Dae seen from the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 28th. / Reporter Park Seong-il

Regarding North Korea's launch of a short-range ballistic missile on the 20th, the National Security Office stated, "This is a grave act that violates UN Security Council resolutions, and we strongly urged an immediate halt to such actions."

The National Security Office announced that it convened an emergency security situation review meeting alongside the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to inspect South Korea's defense readiness.

The office said, "We checked our response posture, analyzed and assessed the impact of this launch on our national security, and reviewed necessary follow-up measures," adding that it "emphasized doing everything possible to maintain our readiness posture."

Earlier in the day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff detected North Korea firing an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea in the afternoon. The National Security Office confirmed that the projectile was a short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area.

                                                                                                              Hong Sun-mi