North Korea rejects peace talks with South Korea

August 16, 2019

North Korea fired two missiles into the sea on Friday and launched a scathing attack on “foolish” calls for dialogue from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, rejecting further peace talks with the South.

Pyongyang has been increasingly outraged by the joint military drills which began last week between the US and South Korea, which it says clearly breach a commitment made by Donald Trump in Singapore last year.

It has fired several short-range missile tests in recent weeks, including some which experts said could represent new technology.

The “unidentified projectiles” spotted by the South Korean military on Friday were launched off North Korea’s east coast shortly after 8 am and flew around 230km (142 miles) to an altitude of 30km (18 miles), a statement from Seoul said.

The series of tests comes after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed during a meeting in June to restart denuclearisation negotiations.

North Korea has faced international sanctions for its development of nuclear weapons.