North Korea fires two projectiles in fifth round of launches
- South Korea says the presumed ballistic missiles flew about 400km before landing in the sea
- Pyongyang had called earlier launches a ‘warning’ to US and South Korea over ongoing joint military exercises
North Korea on Saturday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, according to South Korea’s military.
Its fifth round of launches in less than three weeks was likely another protest at the slow pace of nuclear negotiations with the United States and continuance of US-South Korea joint military exercises which the North says are aimed at a northward invasion.
The South’s military alerted reporters to the launches hours after US President Donald Trump said he received a “beautiful” three-page letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and predicted that they will have more talks to try resolving the nuclear stand-off.
Trump reiterated that he was not bothered by the flurry of short-range weapons Kim has launched, despite the growing threat they pose to US allies in the region. He said Pyongyang has never broken its pledge to pause nuclear tests.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the presumed ballistic missiles were fired from the North’s eastern coast and flew about 400km on an apogee of 48km, before landing in waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.