South Korea: North Korea fires 2 presumed missiles into sea

The North conducted two previous rounds of similar short-range launches this month

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects an artillery fire competition between large combined units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on the western front. AFP

North Korea on Saturday fired two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military said, as it continues to expand military capabilities amid a standstill in nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired from inland in western North Korea and flew cross-country before landing in waters off the country’s eastern coast. The Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately give specific details on how far they flew.

The North conducted two previous rounds of similar short-range launches and other military exercises this month after leader Kim Jong Un entered the new year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of “gangster-like” US sanctions and pressure.

South Korea’s military alerted the latest launches to reporters shortly after North Korea’s state media reported that Mr Kim supervised an artillery firing competition between army units on the western front on Friday.

The KCNA said Mr Kim expressed satisfaction over the exercise that was aimed at evaluating the combat readiness of its troops, but didn’t mention any direct comments toward Washington or Seoul.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency also said on Saturday that the North has decided to hold a session of its rubber-stamp parliament on April 10. It wasn’t immediately clear what would be discussed.

Nuclear talks have stalemated since the collapse of the second summit between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump in early 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.

While Mr Kim has declared to build up his nuclear arsenal and achieve a “frontal breakthrough” against sanctions, urging his nation to stay resilient in a struggle for economic “self-reliance,” some experts say North Korea’s self-imposed lockdown and intensified anti-virus efforts amid the coronavirus crisis could potentially hamper his ability to mobilise people for labour.

North Korea has not publicly confirmed a single case of the Covid-19 illness, but state media has described anti-virus efforts as a matter of “national existence.”