North Korea fires two short-range missiles, US still open to dialogue

(file photo) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching the launch of a ballistic missile at an unknow

* US officials say still open to nuclear talks with Pyongyang * South Korea military says two cruise missiles tracked on Sunday * Biden, officials play down significance of test North Korea fired two short-range missiles at the weekend, US and South Korean officials said, but Washington played down the first such tests under President Joe Biden and said it was still open to dialogue with Pyongyang. The North Korean activity involved weapons systems at the low end of the spectrum that were not covered by UN Security Council testing bans, two senior officials of the Biden administration told a briefing call on Tuesday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said two cruise missiles were fired off North Korea's western coastal town of Onchon on Sunday morning.