North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’: South Korean military

By Islamuddin Sajid

ANKARA (AA) - North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” toward the East Sea, the South Korean military claimed on Thursday.

Without disclosing details, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told reporters about the launch, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The new launch came after the South Korean military last week claimed that Pyongyang fired another ballistic missile, but it failed to reach a certain altitude in its early boost phase.

The Seoul military believes the last week’s missile was part of earlier intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests conducted by North Korea on Feb. 27 and March 5, Yonhap News Agency added.

This year alone, North Korea has conducted more than 10 missile tests, including a newly developed hypersonic missile.

On March 11, South Korean officials claimed that North Korea has begun restoring tunnels at its nuclear site that were closed in 2018.

Some parts of the nuclear site were destroyed in the presence of foreign media ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's first meeting with then-US President Donald Trump.

The development came after Kim threatened in January that the country will consider resuming “all temporally suspended ” defense activities to bolster its defenses against the US.

He was apparently referring to Pyongyang's self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing, which has been in effect since 2017.

On March 10, the North Korean leader announced that the country will launch a number of reconnaissance satellites “to keep a close eye on” military actions by the US and its allies in the region.

His remarks came a day after South Korea elected a new president who has signaled he will be tougher on Pyongyang.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to strengthen Seoul’s strategic alliance with the US and "build a strong national defense to deter North Korean provocations."