North Korea Fires Missiles    04/08 06:05

   

   SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic 
missiles toward the sea Wednesday in its second launch event in two days, South 
Korea's military said, hours after a senior North Korean official released 
crude insults against Seoul's hopes for warmer relations.

   South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles lifted off from 
North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area on Wednesday morning and flew about 
240 kilometers (150 miles) each in a direction toward the North's eastern 
waters. It said an additional North Korean ballistic missile fired later 
Wednesday traveled more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) off the North's east 
coast.

   South Korea's military said it maintains a readiness to repel any 
provocations by North Korea under a solid military alliance with the United 
States. It earlier said it detected the launch of an unidentified projectile 
from North Korea's capital region Tuesday.

   South Korean media reported the projectile, also likely a ballistic missile, 
disappeared from South Korean military radars after displaying an abnormal 
development in the initial launch stage. This indicated the launch ended in 
failure, according to the reports.

   The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made it clear that it has 
no intentions of improving ties with South Korea, whose liberal government has 
steadfastly expressed its hopes to restore long-dormant dialogue.

   On Tuesday night, Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at Pyongyang's Foreign 
Ministry, said South Korea would always remain North Korea's "most hostile 
enemy state." He derided South Korea as "world-startling fools" engaged in 
wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister 
of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

   After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged 
civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong late Monday praised him 
for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated a threat to retaliate 
if such flights recur. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim Yo 
Jong's statement as meaningful progress in relations.

   Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He cited Kim Yo Jong as 
calling South Korea "the dogs affected by mange that blindly bark to the tune 
of neighboring dogs" as she criticized it for recently co-sponsoring of a U.N. 
resolution on the North's purported human rights violations.

   North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S. and 
pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un's diplomacy with U.S. 
President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. North Korea has instead sought to 
strengthen ties with Russia, China and other countries embroiled in 
confrontations with the U.S. Last September, Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing to 
attend a military parade alongside other foreign leaders and held his first 
summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.

   North Korea's state media said Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang 
Yi will visit North Korea on Thursday for a two-day trip.

   Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an 
upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development 
boosting his country's strategic military arsenal.

   Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal 
their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before 
liftoffs and cannot last long.

   South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Monday the engine test was likely 
related to an effort to build a more powerful solid-fuel intercontinental 
ballistic missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to 
lawmakers who attended the meeting.

   Experts say North Korea wants multi-warhead missiles to penetrate U.S. 
missile defenses, but they doubt Pyongyang has mastered the technology needed 
to acquire such a weapon.