Iran Press/Asia: North Korea on Saturday fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent weapons test — its fifth in 16 days — flying in the face of US President Donald Trump’s jubilant exhortations after receiving another 'beautiful letter' from Pyongyang hours earlier, according to the Yonhap.
The missiles, which were fired from near the northeastern city of Hamhung, flew 400 km at a peak altitude of 48 km, according to the South Korean military.
Following the launches, South Korean national security chief Chung Eui-yong met with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon.
"They believed that the moves are apparently a show of force against the combined military exercise between South Korea and the US," a Blue House spokesman said in a statement.
In Tokyo, the Defense Ministry said in a statement that none of the projectiles had landed in the country’s territorial waters or its exclusive economic zone and that the launches did not affect its security.
Trump, who has downplayed the recent tests, said just hours before the launches that he had received 'a very beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un' on Thursday.
"He really wrote a beautiful, three-page — I mean, right from top to bottom — a really beautiful letter," Trump said. "And maybe I’ll release the results of the letter, but it was a very positive letter."
Trump said the North Korean leader had voiced dissatisfaction in the letter with joint US-South Korean military exercises currently being held on the peninsula.
"He wasn’t happy with … the war games," Trump said adding: "I’ve never liked it either because we should be reimbursed for it"
Kim on Wednesday blasted the exercises, saying that Tuesday’s weapons test would 'send an adequate warning to the joint military drill now underway by the US and South Korean authorities.'
A day earlier, the North’s Foreign Ministry ripped into the exercises, labeling them a 'flagrant violation' of efforts to reach peace on the Korean Peninsula and reflecting a lack of 'political will' by Seoul and Washington to improve relations. A ministry spokesman said that if the drills continued, the North 'will be compelled to seek a new road.'
US officials have said stalled denuclearization talks with the North Koreans will happen 'soon', but have admitted that time and location have yet to be set.
US President and North Korean leader agreed on July 01 to resume denuclearization talks that have been stalled since the collapse of their second summit in Hanoi but no joint declaration or agreements were made after the meeting. 101/208
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