North Korea sparks US condemnation with latest missile launch

The United States condemned repeated missile launches from North Korea following its latest weapons test this week, its sixth such launch within the past month, Reuters reports.

A State Department spokesperson voiced opposition to the tests, saying that North Korea is violating United Nations Security Council resolutions. 

North Korea most recently fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles Thursday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launch from the east coast of North Korea, and the missiles traveled for 190 km.

The news follows a similar test on Tuesday, when North Korea fired another two missiles off its east coast.

If confirmed, Thursday’s missile test would be the nation’s sixth this month, following the launch of a tactical guided missile, two “hypersonic missiles” and a railway-borne missile system.

North Korea reiterated earlier this month that it deems the United States a threat to its sovereignty and that it will strengthen its defense in response, including considering the continuation of “all temporally-suspended activities.”

North Korea has not tested long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons since 2017. But after talks with the U.S. died out under former President Trump, the nation began short-range missile testing.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month referred to the tests as “profoundly destabilizing,” but it’s unclear what actions the U.S. may take to resume talks with Pyongyang. 

The Biden administration has put notably less focus on U.S.-North Korea relations than Trump, who placed his relationship with the North Korean leader near the top of his foreign policy agenda.