North Korea fires projectiles

SEOUL: North Korea fired two projectiles, possibly missiles, into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan yesterday, according to the Japanese coast guard and South Korea’s military.

The two ‘‘unidentified projectiles’’ were fired from South Phyongan Province, in the centre of the country, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Japan’s coast guard said they appeared to be missiles, and landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370km) from land.

The afternoon launch timing was a departure from this year’s string of tests, which usually took place around dawn.

The launch yesterday comes amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the

United States and tension between the two Koreas.

On Sunday, North Korea said there had been no progress in North KoreaUnited States relations.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set an endoftheyear deadline for denuclearisation talks with Washington, and in the Sunday statement a senior North Korean official said it would be a mistake for the United States to ignore that deadline.

North Korea has tested several new missile designs this year, including a new submarinelaunched ballistic missile fired from a platform in the sea on October 2.

It says the missiles are necessary to defend against new warplanes and weapons acquired by South Korea, including the advanced F35 stealth fighter jet. — Reuters