Pyongyang appears to have new missiles

South Korea expresses concern that North is still developing arms.

SEOUL — South Korea on Sunday urged North Korea to commit to its past disarmament pledges while expressing concerns over the North’s unveiling of a suspected new long- range missile during a military parade.

During celebrations in Pyongyang on Saturday marking the 75th birthday of its ruling party, North Korea paraded a variety of weapons systems, including two missiles that were disclosed for the first time to a foreign audience.

One appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile larger than any of the North’s known ICBMs; the other would probably be an upgraded version of a missile that can be f ired from submarines.

Although they could be mock- ups of missiles under development, experts say, their disclosures suggest that North Korea has been continuously pushing to boost its weapons capability amid a stalemate in nuclear diplomacy with the United States.

On Sunday, South Korea’s Defense Ministry expressed concerns that “North Korea unveiled weapons including what was suspected to be a new longrange ballistic missile.” A ministry statement demanded that North Korea abide by 2018 inter- Korean deals aimed at lowering animosities.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement urging North Korea to return to talks to advance its past commitment to achieving denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula.

After an emergency meeting, National Security Council members in South Korea said they’ll continue to analyze the strategic significance of the North Korean weapons systems disclosed Saturday and review South Korea’s defense capabilities.

Ties between the Koreas remain strained amid the deadlocked nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington.

During a speech at the military parade, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would fully mobilize his nuclear force if threatened but avoided direct criticism of Washington.

The fact that Kim maintains his self- imposed moratorium on nuclear and longrange missile tests indicates he still wants to keep chances for diplomacy with the U. S. alive.

But some experts say he’ll eventually carry out a major weapons test after the U. S. presidential election in November to boost his leverage in potential new negotiations with Washington.