North Korea fires two short-range missiles into sea

Far East: Believed to be pressure tactic against US

North Korea has fired two new types of short-range ballistic missile into the sea, say South Korean officials.

They were the country’s first weapons launches in early May and appeared to be a pressuring tactic as North Korea and the US struggle to restart nuclear negotiations.

The South’s joint chiefs of staff said the missiles flew about 270 miles and 430 miles respectively before landing in the sea off the east coast.

A South Korean defence official, requesting anonymity due to department rules, said an initial analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and reached a maximum altitude of 30 miles.

The North is unhappy at planned US-South Korean military drills that it says are preparation for an invasion, and the tests may be meant as a warning to Washington.

“North Korea appears to be thinking its diplomacy with the US isn’t proceeding in a way that they want,” said analyst Kim Dae-young at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.

“So they’ve fired missiles to get the tables to turn in their favour.”

But North Korea does not appear to be pulling away from US-led diplomacy aimed at curbing its nuclear programme, analysts say.

The relatively short distance travelled by the

“They’ve fired missiles to get the tables to turn in their favour”

missiles suggests the launches were not intended as a major provocation.

North Korea has been urging the US and South Korea to scrap their summertime military drills.

A senior US official said the Trump administration was aware of the reported launches and had no further comment.

South Korean defence ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo urged Pyongyang to stop acts that are “not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula”.

China, the North’s last major ally and main aid provider, said Washington and Pyongyang should restart nuclear diplomacy as soon as possible.

Both should “meet each other halfway and jointly make positive efforts to promote denuclearisation”, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.