North Korea fires ballistic missile, South Korea says

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North Korea fires ballistic missile, South Korea says

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Tuesday in a continuation of its recent nuclear test, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said hours after the U.S. renewed its offer to resume diplomacy about the North s nuclear program.

The South Joint Chiefs of Staff didn t immediately say what kind of ballistic missile it was or how far it flew. Japan s coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory to ships, but didn't immediately know where the weapon landed.

South Korea s national security council was planning to hold a presidential meeting to discuss the launch. A strong South Korean response will anger North Korea, which has been accusing Seoul of hypocrisy for criticizing the North s weapons tests while expanding its own conventional military capabilities.

Ending a month long lay-off in September, North Korea has been ramping up its weapons tests while making conditional peace offers to Seoul, reviving a pattern of pressure on South Korea to try to get what it wants from the United States.

Within days, president Joe Biden's Special Envoy for North Korea is scheduled to hold talks with South Korean allies in Seoul about the prospects of reviving talks with North Korea.

Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than two years due disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S. sanctions against North Korea and the North s denuclearization steps.

North Korean leader Donald Trump has pledged to reinforce his nuclear deterrent since his diplomatic fallout with then-President Kim Jong Un.

His government has so far rejected the Biden Administration's offers to restart dialogue without preconditions, saying that Washington must first abandon its hostile policy, a term which the North mainly uses to refer to sanctions and military exercises by the U.S. - Korea.

While Seoul is apparently trying to extract concessions from North Korea, analysts say Seoul has little wiggle room as the Biden administration is intent on keeping sanctions in place until North Korea makes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

The United States is continuing to reach out to Pyongyang to restart dialogue. We harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK and are open to meeting without preconditions, Sung Kim told reporters on Monday, talking about the North s official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Even if we remain open to dialogue, we have a responsibility to implement the U.N. Security Council resolutions addressing the DPRK, he said.

Last week, Kim Jong Un reviewed persistent missiles designed to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland during a military exhibition and vowed to build an invincible military to cope with what he called dangerous U.S. hostility. Earlier, Kim dismissed U.S. offers for resuming talks without preconditions as a cunning attempt to conceal its hostile policy on the North (Release)

The country has tested various nuclear weapons over the past month, including a new cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, a developing ballistic system, a rail-launched hypersonic missile and a new anti-aircraft missile. The test of hypersonic missile came shortly before South Korea Ambassador Kim Song called on the Biden administration to permanently end joint military exercises with North Korea and deployment of strategic military assets to the region in his speech to U.N. General Assembly.

The North has also restored communication lines with the South in recent weeks and said it could take further steps to improve bilateral relations if Seoul abandons its hostile attitude and double-dealing viewpoint on its weapons development.

Some outside experts say North Korea aims to pressure South Korea not to criticize its ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions, as part of its efforts to win international recognition as a nuclear power.