North Korea follows offer of fresh nuclear talks with two more projectile launches

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a missile test
AP
Sean Morrison @seanmorrison_10 September 2019

North Korea fired two projectiles just hours after Pyongyang said it would be willing to resume nuclear talks with the US.

The unidentified projectiles were launched from South Pyongan province towards the east on Tuesday morning, South Korea's military said in statement.

The launches came after North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on Monday that Pyongyang was willing to have "comprehensive discussions" with the US in late September at a time and place to be agreed.

The minister warned that Washington needed to present a new approach or the talks could fall apart again.

Tuesday's launch is the eighth by North Korea since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the heavily militarised border between the two Koreas in June.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim agreed then to restart working-level negotiations for denuclearisation talks that had stalled since an unsuccessful second summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February.

A senior Trump administration official said: "We are aware of reports of projectiles launched from North Korea. We are continuing to monitor the situation and consulting closely with our allies in the region."

North Korea has previously said its development of new weapons is to counter military threats and offensive pressures against its own security.

However, analysts say the string of launches highlight how North Korea has been able to further develop its military capabilities in the absence of any concrete agreement with the United States.

Many of the latest missiles launched by North Korea appear to be new types designed to evade interception by U.S., South Korean and Japanese missile defence systems.

Agencies contributed to this report

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