Kim Tong-Hyung and Hyung-Jin Kim

Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into its eastern sea Monday, South Korean officials said, after a monthslong hiatus in weapons demonstrations.

The launches came two days after North Korea’s state media said leader Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing the combat readiness of units in front-line and eastern areas.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired from an area near the coastal town of Wonsan and flew about 149 miles northeast on an apogee of about 22 miles. It said the South Korean and U.S. militaries were jointly analyzing the launches but didn’t immediately confirm whether the weapons were ballistic or rocket artillery.

North Korea probably tested one of its new road-mobile, solid-fuel missile systems or a developmental “super large” multiple rocket launcher it repeatedly demonstrated last year, said Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. Such weapons could overwhelm missile defense systems and expand the North’s ability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan, including U.S. bases.

Kim Jong Un entered the new year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in the face of “gangster-like” U.S. sanctions and pressure. In late December, he warned of “shocking” action over stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration.

He said North Korea would soon reveal a “strategic weapon” and insisted the country was no longer “unilaterally bound” to a self-imposed suspension on the testing of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Kim did not explicitly lift the moratorium or give any clear indication that such tests were impending and left the door open for negotiations.

South Korea’s presidential office said National Security Director Chung Eui-yong discussed the launches with the South’s defense minister and spy chief, and the officials expressed “strong concern” over the North’s resumption of testing activity, which could raise military tensions.

Japan said that it had not detected any projectile landing in its territory or its exclusive economic zone and that no sea vessels or aircraft were damaged.

“The repeated firings of ballistic missiles by North Korea is a serious problem for the international community, including Japan, and the government will continue to gather and analyze information and monitor the situation to protect the lives and property of the people,” a Japanese Defense Ministry statement said.

In previous years, North Korea intensified testing activity in response to springtime military exercises between South Korea and the United States that it described as invasion rehearsals. The allies announced last week that they were postponing their annual drills out of concern about the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, which has infected soldiers from both countries.

Despite the North’s indifference, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has pleaded for a revival in inter-Korean engagement. In a speech Sunday marking the 101st anniversary of a major uprising against Japanese colonial rule, Moon called for cooperation between the two Koreas to fight infectious diseases amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Asia.

Amid the deadlock in nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration, Kim suspended virtually all cooperation with South Korea in the past months while demanding that Seoul defy U.S.-led international sanctions and restart economic projects that would jolt the North’s broken economy.

North Korea has yet to confirm any COVID-19 cases, although state media hinted that an uncertain number of people have been quarantined after exhibiting symptoms. North Korea shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists, intensified screening at entry points and mobilized tens of thousands of health workers to monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms. Last month, South Korea withdrew dozens of officials from a liaison office in Kaesong after North Korea insisted on closing it until the epidemic is controlled.

Kim and President Donald Trump have met three times since embarking on their high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018, but negotiations have faltered since their second summit in February last year in Vietnam, where the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capability.

After the collapse in Hanoi, the North ended a 17-month pause in ballistic activity and conducted at least 13 rounds of weapons launches last year, using the standstill in talks to expand its military capabilities.

In December, the North said it conducted two “crucial” tests at a long-range rocket facility that would strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

Contributing: Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo