North Korea’s most recent reported launches, of suspected multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) projectiles, have stirred up controversy in South Korea. Opposition lawmakers have criticized the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s decision to not immediately report on the launches, after the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) only confirmed that launches had taken place after a news story that cited anonymous sources.

The incident raises questions about the thresholds of both missile detection and prompt reporting in South Korea, and the very matter of what differentiates a missile from more mundane threats. Yoon himself noted that