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North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles, South Korea military says

Launch comes six days after Pyongyang test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles

Chris Baynes
Tuesday 30 July 2019 23:12 BST
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Trump becomes first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea at meeting with Kim Jong-un

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North Korea has fired “multiple ballistic missiles”, Yonhap news agency has reported, citing the South Korean military.

The projectiles were launched from Hodo peninsula in South Hamgyong province on North Korea’s east coast, according to the Seoul-based agency.

The South Korean military’s joint chiefs of staff said they were “monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,” Yonhap added.

The missiles flew around 250km (155 miles) and appeared to be of a different type from previous launches, the South Korean defence minister Jeong Kyeong-do told the news agency.

The latest launch comes six days after North Korea test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles.

Last week’s launch was the first test since leader Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump met last month and agreed to revive denuclearisation talks.

The North said the 24 July tests were a “solemn warning” to South Korea over its plans to hold military exercises with the US.

Mr Kim was said to have personally supervised the launch of the two missiles, which according to a joint US-South Korea analysis both flew distances of more than 600km (372 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan.

The US played down last week’s launches and said talks with the North would resume within weeks.

“Everybody tries to get ready for negotiations and create leverage and create risk for the other side,” said Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state.

However, the US state department also urged “no more provocations” from North Korea.

“This administration is committed to diplomatic engagement with the North Koreans and we continue to press and hope for these working-level negotiations to move forward,” a spokeswoman said last week.

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