Kim Jong-un puts a rocket under North Korea’s missile diplomacy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen another ‘long-range artillery’ drill, state media said on Tuesday.

Kim Jong-un inspects the drill on Monday. He ‘highly appreciates the perfect combat readiness’ of his forces. Picture: Korean Central News Agency via AP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen another “long-range artillery” drill, state media reported on Tuesday, a day after Japan said the nuclear-armed country had fired what ­appeared to be ballistic missiles.

It was the second such “drill” in a week and came as a prolonged hiatus in disarmament talks with the US dragged on.

Kim “guided another firepower strike drill of long-range artillery” and “highly appreciated the perfect combat readiness” of the forces, the Korean Central News Agency said.

The North has continued to refine its weapons capabilities, more than a year after a summit between Kim and Donald Trump broke down in Hanoi.

Pyongyang is under multiple sets of UN, US and other sanctions over its weapons programs.

The devices were fired northeast into the sea from South Hamgyong province and flew 200km at a maximum altitude of 50km, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

That was slightly shorter but also slightly higher than the firing of two short-range ballistic ­missiles last week.

The missile were fired northeast into the sea from South Hamgyong province and flew 200km at a maximum altitude of 50km. Picture: Korean Central News Agency via AP

A US State Department spokeswoman called on North Korea to “avoid provocations” and abide by UN Security Council resolutions. A Japanese ­defence ministry spokesman said North Korea had appeared to fire “ballistic missiles” — which it is banned from doing under Security Council resolutions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Diet: “Repeated launches of items such as ballistic missiles have been a serious issue for the international community, including our country.”

In an emergency meeting, South Korea’s security ministers said the North’s drills were “not helpful” to efforts for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

The North carried out a series of weapons trials last year, the last of them in November. It also conducted static engine tests, most ­recently in December.

Pyongyang set Washington a deadline of the end of 2019 to offer fresh concessions on sanctions ­relief, and in December Kim declared the North to be no longer bound by its moratoriums on ­nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. He threatened a demonstration of a “new strategic weapon” soon. Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and Mr Trump, but little tangible progress was made.

AFP