North Korea fired two projectiles on Thursday that are “probably” short-range ballistic missiles in the Sea of Japan, an American official said.
The launch of a short-range ballistic missile would be a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, marking a slight increase over the launch of two short-range cruise missiles last weekend, which are not prohibited by sanctions. , according to a U.S. official.
South Korea’s military also said it detected the launch of two projectiles on Thursday, but did not say what type.
Over the weekend, North Korea launched two cruise missiles west into the Yellow Sea in the first known weapons test during the Biden administration.
Senior officials in the Biden administration called the weekend’s launch a “normal” activity.
The launches take place shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited the region on the first trip abroad conducted by the Biden government.
Blinken confirmed that the Biden government has been in contact with Pyongyang since mid-February, but has received no response. A senior government official said there was “no active dialogue” with North Korea, despite the US “multiple attempts” to engage with them last year, during the Biden and Trump governments.
Senior officials said on Tuesday that the government is in the final stages of a review of North Korea’s policy and that the weekend’s launch does not close the door on dialogue between the two countries.
Eleanor Watson contributed to the report.