North Korea launched more than 10 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, 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, likely outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK reported. The launches come amid heightened tensions, with Seoul and Washington this week staging major military drills they describe as purely defensive.
North Korea, which has been under UN Security Council sanctions since 2006 for its nuclear and missile programmes, frequently condemns such exercises as “dress rehearsals” for invasion. Pyongyang has test-launched a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles for over two decades in pursuit of nuclear delivery capabilities.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has renewed overtures for dialogue with North Korea. On Thursday, South Korea’s Prime Minister met Trump in Washington, where the US president expressed openness to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump suggested a possible summit during his April visit to China, but noted it could happen later.
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Trump told him that meeting Kim Jong-un “would be good”, adding that dialogue or contact was essential. However, North Korea has recently dismissed South Korea’s peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce” and has demanded Washington accept its nuclear status.
