North Korea launched more than ten ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, according to South Korea's military, as the United States and South Korea conducted joint military exercises. The missiles were fired from an area near the capital Pyongyang at around 1.20pm local time, heading towards the sea off the country's east coast.
Japan's coast guard detected what appeared to be a ballistic missile that fell into the sea, but outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK reported. The launches come amid heightened tensions, with Seoul and Washington this week beginning major military drills that they describe as purely defensive.
North Korea, which has been under UN sanctions since 2006 for its nuclear and missile programmes, frequently condemns such exercises as dress rehearsals for invasion. The country has developed a range of ballistic and cruise missiles over two decades, believed capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has renewed overtures for dialogue with Pyongyang. On Thursday, South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met Trump in Washington, where Trump reportedly said a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be 'good'. The two discussed reviving talks that have been suspended since 2019.
Kim Min-seok told reporters that Trump was open to a meeting during his upcoming visit to China in April, but added that the timing was less important than the fact that dialogue or contact takes place. Trump had previously said in October he was '100%' open to meeting Kim Jong-un, but the offer went unanswered.
North Korea has recently indicated it could 'get along' with the US if Washington accepted its nuclear status, while also dismissing South Korea's peace efforts as a 'clumsy, deceptive farce'. The latest missile launches underscore the fragility of diplomatic efforts to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.
