SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of 鈥� North Korea on Thursday test-fired its first ballistic missiles since President Joe Biden took office as it expands its military capabilities and increases pressure on Washington while nuclear negotiations remain stalled.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said North Korea鈥檚 resumption of ballistic testing threatens 鈥減eace and safety in Japan and the region,鈥� and that Tokyo will closely
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, after meeting his Russian counterpart in Seoul, expressed 鈥渄eep concern鈥� and urged the North to uphold its commitments for peace. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for a swift resumption of dialogue to resolve the standoff with North Korea.
South Korea鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff said the two short-range missiles were fired at 7:06 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. on the North鈥檚 eastern coast and flew 450
A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military observations, matched the information from Tokyo and Seoul, saying that initial assessments suggest the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles.
鈥淭his activity highlights the threat that North Korea鈥檚 illicit weapons program poses to its
The launches came a day after U.S. and South Korean officials said the North fired short-range weapons presumed to be cruise missiles into its western sea over the weekend.
North Korea has a history of testing new U.S. administrations with missile launches and other provocations aimed at forcing the Americans back to the negotiating table.
Still, Thursday鈥檚 launches were a measured provocation compared to the nuclear and intercontinental missile tests in 2017 that inspired war fears before the North shifted toward diplomacy with the Trump administration in 2018.
Analysts expect the North to gradually dial up its weapons displays to gain bargaining power as it angles to get back into stalled talks aimed at leveraging nuclear weapons for badly needed economic benefits.
North Korea has so far ignored the Biden administration鈥檚 efforts to reach out, saying it won鈥檛 engage in meaningful talks unless Washington abandons its 鈥渉ostile鈥� policies.
It鈥檚 unclear how the Biden administration will respond before it completes its policy review on North Korea in coming weeks.
The missile launches followed a trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and
During the trip, Blinken sternly criticized North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program and human rights record and pressed China to use its 鈥渢remendous influence鈥� to convince the North to denuclearize.
North Korean state media had said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his country鈥檚 traditional alliance with China while exchanging messages with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an apparent response to Biden鈥檚 efforts to
The negotiations over the North鈥檚 nuclear program faltered after the collapse of Kim鈥檚 second summit with President Donald Trump in February 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
Since Trump鈥檚 first meeting with Kim in 2018, the North has not conducted nuclear or long-range missile tests, although analysts believe it has pressed ahead with both programs.
The North has continued short- and medium-range missile testing during its suspension of nuclear and long-range tests, expanding its ability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan, including U.S. bases there.
Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from South Korea鈥檚 Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the flight data suggests the North possibly tested a new solid-fuel system modeled after Russia鈥檚 9K720 Iskander mobile ballistic missiles.
The low-flying missiles, which analysts see as potentially nuclear capable, are designed to be
The North had conducted at least 16 launches of these missiles and other new short-range systems from 2019 to 2020.
Trump had been accused of giving North Korea room to advance its weaponry by repeatedly dismissing its short-range missile tests despite the threat they posed to South Korea and Japan.
If Biden takes a different approach by imposing additional sanctions over short-range ballistic launches, the North may use it as an excuse for more provocative tests, including those involving submarine-launched missile systems, said Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at South Korea鈥檚 Sejong Institute.
Kim Jong Un鈥檚 powerful sister last week berated the United States over its latest round of combined military exercises with South Korea this month, warning Washington to 鈥渞efrain from causing a stink鈥� if it wants to 鈥渟leep in peace鈥� for the next four years.
The North鈥檚 short-range tests on Sunday were its first known missile firings since April 2020. Biden played down those launches, telling reporters, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no new wrinkle in what they did.鈥�
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AP journalists Yuri Kageyama and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Aamer Madhani and Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press
