Abstinence was short-lived: North Korea continues missile tests

(Patria) – North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles towards the East Sea from the southern Pyongan province on Tuesday morning, a South Korean military command official said.  

The projectiles were fired at 6:53 AM and 7:12 AM Korean time. They flew at a speed of 330 km/h, according to the same source, which also reported that the South Korean military is on alert.

The US is monitoring the situation and consulting with allies, a US administration official stated.

The projectiles were fired just hours after North Korea's top diplomat involved in nuclear disarmament talks with US representatives stated that Pyongyang was open to resuming negotiations with Washington.

After more than a year of abstaining from missile tests, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered no less than 10 missile launches since May 2019, most of which are believed to be short-range, with Western experts noting impressive technological progress in the country's weapons development.

Analysts claim that short-range missiles pose a threat to US troops in Northeast Asia, as well as to the populations of South Korea and Japan. They also warn that advanced technologies tested on short-range weapons could easily be applied to long-range weapons.

US President Donald Trump commented that Kim had agreed to stop testing only long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on Sunday that Kim had not yet broken his commitment to Trump, but that the US was 'disappointed that he has continued with short-range tests – we wish he had stopped that.'

Pompeo added that the State Department's goal was very clear – 'back to the negotiating table to present an effective mechanism... for achieving complete and full denuclearization of North Korea.'