By Kim Tong-Hyung, Hyung-Jin Kim and Mari Yamaguchi -
The Associated Press
North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, likely designed to be fired from a submarine, according to the South Korean military, in
one of the largest displays of military power
since Joe Biden arrived at the White House last year. month of January.
The missile launch also came hours after the United States reiterated its
offer to resume talks
on the North Korean nuclear program, and stressed that the Asian country has continued to develop weapons despite the diplomatic hiatus.
The North Korean dictatorship has launched several launches and tested different weapons in recent weeks.
A television program shows archive footage of a North Korean missile launch at a Seoul train station on October 19, 2021. Lee Jin-man / AP
Negotiations between the two countries have been stalled for more than two years due to
disagreements over the easing of sanctions adopted against North Korea
at the behest of the United States in exchange for denuclearization measures.
Biden's special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, is scheduled to meet with US allies in South Korea in a few days to discuss the possibility of reviving the talks.
[North and South Korea test ballistic missiles amid rising tensions]
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff explained in a statement that it had detected the launch of a short-range missile by North Korea and that everything pointed to a ballistic projectile fired from a submarine located in waters near the North Korean port of Sinpo. .
The United States shoots down a ballistic missile in its first test at sea
Nov. 17, 202001: 34
The South Korean Army, however,
could not say whether the launch was made from an underwater ship or from a launch pad
on the surface of the sea.
Japan, for its part, noted that
its initial analysis suggests that North Korea fired two ballistic missiles
.
Its prime minister, Fumio Kishida, interrupted an election campaign trip for the launch and ordered a
review of the national security strategy
to accommodate growing North Korean threats, including the possible development of the ability to pre-emptively strike North Korean military targets.
[North Korea displays "the most powerful weapon in the world" to pressure Biden]
"We cannot ignore the recent development of North Korean missile technology and its impact on the security of Japan and the region," he said.
The spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that tensions on the Korean peninsula are at "
a critical phase
" and called for a diplomatic resolution to be reached.
