North Korea may have conducted its latest projectile launch to press the United States to cancel or postpone its planned joint military exercise with South Korea.
North Korea fired two projectiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday morning from near the eastern town of Wonsan. The South Korean government says the projectiles were short-range ballistic missiles of a new type.
North Korea says US President Donald Trump promised to suspend the joint military exercise when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the truce village of Panmunjom last month. It also denounced the drill scheduled for next month as a blatant action aimed at putting pressure on Pyongyang.Saturday marks 66 years since the signing of the armistice agreement that halted hostilities in the Korean War.
Ahead of the annual anniversary, which North Korea calls Victory Day, Pyongyang may have used the projectile launch to demonstrate to its people that Kim is a strong leader.Analysts say North Korea may have tried to avoid provoking the US too much by choosing short-range ballistic missiles, instead of long-range ones that can reach the US.
NHK
