North Korea rejects calls for dialogue by South, fires projectiles
IT WAS THE SIXTH ROUND OF LAUNCHES IN RECENT WEEKS
North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea yesterday and launched a scathing attack on “foolish” calls for dialogue from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, rejecting further peace talks with the South.
It was the sixth round of launches in recent weeks in protest at ongoing joint military drills between Seoul and the US. North Korean leader Kim Jong UN has described the tests as a “solemn warning” to the South.
Pyongyang has routinely expressed anger at the war games, which it considers rehearsals for invasion, but in the past has avoided carrying out tests while the manoeuvres are taking place.
The South Korean military said the projectiles were fired from near the city of Tongchon, and flew some 230 kilometres before falling into the Sea of Japan, which is also known as the East Sea.
The latest test came as the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country said it rejected comments by Moon on Thursday
outlining his desire for unification, and said it had nothing more to discuss with the South.
It called Moon, who has long favoured dialogue with the North, an “impudent guy rare to be found”, for hoping for a resumption of inter-Korean talks while continuing military drills with Washington.
‘Unification by 2045’
In a speech on Thursday marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 rule, Moon outlined a goal of “achieving peace and unification by 2045”, although his single five-year term presidency ends in 2022. “His speech deserves the comments ‘foolish commemorative speech’,” the North said in its statement.
“We have nothing to talk any more with the South Korean authorities nor have any idea to sit with them again,” it added.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry said the North’s comments are not “consistent” with the spirit of inter-Korean agreements.