SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday fired two suspected short-range missiles from the country’s western area, South Korea’s military said, the North’s second weapons launch in the last five days and a possible warning that nuclear disarmament talks with Washington could be in danger.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the weapons fired flew 420 kilometers (260 miles) and 270 kilometers (167 miles), respectively. It said it’s working with the United States to find out more details, such as the type of weapons the North fired.
The South’s military said earlier at least one projectile was launched from the Sino-ri area of North Pyongan Province, an area known to host one of North Korea’s oldest missile bases where a brigade operates mid-range Rodong missiles. It said later the launch was made from the province’s Kusong town, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Sino-ri, where the North conducted its first successful flight test of the Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile in May 2017.
The launch comes as U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun visits South Korea, and hours after the North described its firing of rocket artillery and an apparent short-range ballistic missile on Saturday as a regular and defensive military exercise. The North also ridiculed South Korea for criticizing those launches.
South Korea’s presidential national security director, Chung Eui-yong, has been monitoring the situation while comm
