Launch condemned

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday condemned the North Korean government’s decision to conduct a missile launch ahead of his inaugural visit to South Korea, calling it a sign of the threat that nucleararmed North Korea continues to pose to the region.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry reported that North Korea fired two short-range, surface-to-surface missiles into waters off its west coast Tuesday, two days before Mr. Carter landed in Seoul for his first visit as U.S. defense secretary, and as South Korean and U.S. forces conduct annual defense exercises.