Pyongyang

Talks and missiles: North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile this week, possibly from a submarine, just days before working-level nuclear negotiations with the U.S. were set to resume after a seven-month hiatus. The missile was fired from waters off the country’s east coast and flew for 280 miles before splashing into the Sea of Japan. It was the most powerful weapon North Korea has tested since President Trump held inconclusive denuclearization talks with dictator Kim Jong Un in Vietnam in February. Up to now, Trump has downplayed the significance of the North’s short-range missile tests. But South Korean defense analyst Moon Seong Mook warned that a submarine-launched weapon poses a real threat to America, because North Korea could “covertly sail” a sub to the U.S. coast and target the mainland.