North Korea fires unidentified projectiles: South’s military

SEOUL: North Korea fired two projectiles on Thursday, the South’s military said, with nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington at a deadlock.

The weapons were launched from South Pyongan province in an easterly direction over the sea, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without specifying the type of device involved.

It is the latest in a series of launches by the North but the first since October 2, when it fired a sea-launched missile in a provocative move — a submarine-based missile capability would change the military balance.

Pyongyang is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, which it says it needs to defend against a possible US invasion.

It is demanding the easing of the measures and has repeatedly urged Washington to come forward with a new offer by the end of this year.On Sunday, the North’s state media carried a statement from Kim Yong Chol — previously the North’s counterpart to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — accusing Washington of seeking to “isolate and stifle the DPRK in a more crafty and vicious way than before”.

The latest launch displayed Pyongyang’s frustration over the lack of progress in nuclear talks, analysts say.Contacts between the North and South have stalled since Hanoi and Pyongyang has repeatedly excoriated Seoul for joint military drills with Washington and not following through on inter-Korean agreements signed last year.

Kim last week inspected the Mount Kumgang complex which once hosted Southern tourists visiting the North — a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation — and ordered the demolition of Southern-built facilities. Pyongyang this week refused Seoul’s request for face-to-face meetings to discuss the issue.