Seoul: North Korea fires projectile in 4th launch this month | Today Headlines

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired at least one suspected ballistic missile into the sea on Monday in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korean and Japanese officials said, in an apparent attempt to demonstrate military might amid paused diplomacy with the United States and pandemic border closures.

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff did not immediately say whether the projectile was ballistic or how far it flew. Japan’s prime minister’s office said it detected a possible ballistic missile launch from North Korea, but did not immediately provide further details.

The Japanese Coast Guard issued a statement urging ships traveling around the Japanese coast to watch out for falling objects, but no immediate damage to ships or aircraft was reported.

The launch came after the North carried out a pair of flight tests of a purported hypersonic missile on January 5 and 11 and also tested ballistic missiles from a train on Friday in apparent retaliation for new sanctions imposed by the Biden administration last week. for its continued test launches.

North Korea has in recent months stepped up testing of new missiles designed to overwhelm missile defenses in the region.

Some experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reverting to a tried-and-true technique of pressuring the United States and its regional neighbors with missile launches and outrageous threats before offering negotiations aimed at securing concessions.