North Korea fires three projectiles
March 8, 2020
North Korea has fired at least three unidentified projectiles, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement on Monday.
The projectiles were fired from Sondok town in South Hamgyong province on the eastern coast of North Korea. They flew 200 kiometers (124 miles), peaking at an altitude of 50 kilometers.
The latest escalation on the Korean Peninsula comes a week after the firing of two short-range missiles on March 2. Those launches, which were overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, were part of routine military drills, according to officials.
'Hostile to us'
Last week, Germany, Britain, France, Estonia and Belgium raised the issue of North Korea's latest missile firings at the UN Security Council.
The North Korean ministry reacted to this, saying "The illogical thinking and sophism of these countries are just gradually bearing a close resemblance to the US, which is hostile to us."
Last week, Kim Jong Un's sister had made a statement insulting South Korea for criticizing its previous missile launches.
Diplomacy fizzles
Pyongyang is under growing international pressure to end its controversial arms programs, including those aimed at developing weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them.
US-led nuclear diplomacy has been stalled since the second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un ended without any agreement.
Read more: North Korea: From war to nuclear weapons
tg/ls (AFP, Reuters)