North Korea fires ‘projectiles’ into sea

Experts say Kim Jong Un “is completely cornered” as short-range weapon is fired off east coast.

People in Tokyo walk past a screen showing a TV news on unidentified short-range projectiles fired by North Korea.

North Korea fired a type of short-range weapon off the country’s east coast on Saturday morning, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry, the latest military provocation from Pyongyang amid stalled nuclear talks with Washington.

Multiple projectiles were fired between 9:06 a.m. and 9:27 a.m. local time, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, which said it believed the weapons had flown 70 to 200 kilometers. The projectile weaponry was under review by the South Korean and U.S. military, said the South’s Defense Ministry, which didn’t provide more details.

President Trump was briefed on the launch Friday night by his national security adviser John Bolton, a senior administration official said.

It couldn’t immediately be determined how many projectiles had been fired or where the weaponry may have landed. Initial reports don’t immediately suggest the projectiles were ballistic or long-range missiles. That is a key distinction because North Korea has instituted a self-imposed moratorium on testing ballistic or long-range missiles, a development that Washington sees as a sign that diplomacy has proven beneficial. North Korea hasn’t test-fired a ballistic missile since November 2017.

Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since the two sides left February’s Vietnam summit without a deal.

The Kim regime, however, has more recently test-fired other types of short-range weaponry. Two weeks ago, North Korea launched a new tactical guided weapon, which military experts saw as a guided missile that could be used in a single battlefield.

The Kim regime in recent weeks has increased moderate provocations, which security analysts believe send the message that Pyongyang can revert to a cycle of confrontation if Washington doesn’t compromise on sanctions. The day before its tactical guided weapon test, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had made his first visit to a military site in five months, directing pilots in air-combat exercises.

The activity helps project an image of strength to Mr. Kim’s domestic audience, while representing part of his attempts to convince President Trump to come back to the negotiating table, said Yoon Suk-joon, a researcher with the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Military Affairs and a retired South Korean navy captain.

“Kim Jong Un is completely cornered,” Mr. Yoon said. “He’s trying to grab Trump’s attention.” Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since the two sides left February’s Vietnam summit without a deal. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a speech last month, said the U.S. had until year’s end to change its stance in negotiations.

But if Washington doesn’t take a different tack, “the prospect of settling the issues will be gloomy and very dangerous,” Mr. Kim told his rubber-stamp legislature last month, in a rare policy speech.

“We are aware of North Korea’s actions tonight,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “We will continue to monitor as necessary.” “We are aware of North Korea’s actions tonight,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. “We will continue to monitor as necessary.” Mr. Trump told reporters earlier Friday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed North Korea “at great length” during a phone call. He also said there was talk of a three-way agreement on nuclear weapons with Russia and China.

“I think we’re going to probably start up something very shortly between Russia and ourselves, maybe to start off,” Mr. Trump said. “And I think China will be added down the road. We’ll be talking about nonproliferation. We’ll be talking about a nuclear deal of some kind. And I think it will be a very comprehensive one.” Mr. Kim had held a summit in Russia last week with Mr. Putin, who said North Korea “needs guarantees of its security.” The first-time meeting between the two country’s leaders, however, didn’t produce any public promises from Moscow of economic assistance that would help the Kim regime mitigate the pressure of sanctions.

North Korean state media didn’t have any immediate comment about its Saturday morning short-range weapons test.

Eun-Young Jeong and Alex Leary contributed to this article.

The Wall Street Journal