North fired short-range missile, says South Korea

dpa Seoul North Korea fired a short-range missile from northern Chagang Province towards the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said on Tuesday. The ...

dpa SeoulNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from northern Chagang Province towards the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said on Tuesday.The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that it had not been initially clear whether the missile was ballistic or how far it had flown. South Korean President Moon Jae In ordered a “thorough analysis” of the test launch and recent statements from North Korea on relations between the two countries.The Japanese government, which also confirmed the launch, said that it was most likely a ballistic missile, Kyodo news agency reported.UN resolutions have barred North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on their design, can be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.This new launch comes just two weeks after Pyongyang tested two short-range ballistic missiles, which it later said were a new type of long-range cruise missile.At the time, South Korean President Moon Jae In called those tests a “provocation.” Meanwhile, North Korea’s UN ambassador Kim Song told the UN General Assembly on Monday that his country had an indisputable right to develop and test weapons systems of any kind.During the general debate of the UN General Assembly, Kim accused the US of pursuing a hostile policy against his country - which Washington denies - and called on the US to halt joint military manoeuvres with South Korea permanently: “If the US makes a bold decision and abandons its hostile policy, we will willingly respond at any time.” For years, Pyongyang has been developing missiles that are capable of hitting not only South Korea and Japan, but can carry warheads as far as the US. According to estimates by the US-based Arms Control Association, there are 30 to 40 nuclear warheads in North Korea.During the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, floated the prospect of resuming talks with the South, including a new summit. For that to happen, South Korea would have to put aside its hostile attitude, she said.She deemed Seoul’s proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War “interesting and admirable,” however. Despite a 1953 armistice, the Korean War has never officially ended.A thaw in relations between North and South Korea took place in 2018 when direct talks were held between the two Koreas, but progress has stalled since then.