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North Korean refuses talks with South, tests missiles
Pyongyang has routinely expressed anger at the war games, which it considers rehearsals for invasion, but in the past has avoided carrying out tests while the manoeuvres are taking place.
North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles into the sea on Friday and launched a scathing attack on “foolish” calls for dialogue from South Korean President Moon Jae In, rejecting further peace talks with Seoul.
It was the sixth round of launches in recent weeks in protest at ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the US. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described the tests as a “solemn warning” to the South.
Pyongyang has routinely expressed anger at the war games, which it considers rehearsals for invasion, but in the past has avoided carrying out tests while the manoeuvres are taking place.
The South Korean military said the projectiles were fired from near the city of Tongchon, and flew some 230km before falling into the Sea of Japan, which is also known as the East Sea.
They were “presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles”, an official of the joint chiefs of staff told AFP, while further analysis was required to confirm that.
The latest missile test came as North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country said it rejected comments by Moon on Thursday outlining his desire for Korean unification, and said it had nothing more to discuss with the South.
It called Moon - who has long favoured dialogue with the North - an “impudent guy rare to be found”, for hoping for a resumption of inter-Korean talks while continuing military drills with Washington.
In a speech on Thursday marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 rule, Moon outlined a goal of “achieving peace and unification by 2045”, although his single five-year term ends in 2022.
“His speech deserves the comments ‘foolish commemorative speech’,” the North said in its statement.
