It is believed to be the first launch by the secretive country since June 8, when it tested eight short-range ballistic missiles. The latest launch comes as South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol called for diplomacy aimed at building lasting peace between the rivals amid tensions over the North’s accelerating weapons program. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Yun said he does not want political change in North Korea that brings violence and urged North Korea to return to dialogue aimed at exchanging denuclearization steps for economic benefits. The calls for talks come despite threats of “deadly retaliation” by Kim Jong Un’s sister as she blamed propaganda leaflets from South Korea found near the border for causing the coronavirus outbreak. The missiles were fired from the west coast city of Oncheon early Wednesday, a South Korean military source said. Details about their range or altitude were not immediately available. The launch comes as South Korea and the US began a four-day preliminary joint exercise on Tuesday. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:08 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned that he is ready to use nuclear weapons in possible military conflicts with the US and South Korea. Earlier this week Kim Jong Un claimed his nation is ready to mobilize its nuclear war deterrent “accurately and in time”. He said the country was ready for any possible military conflicts with the United States as well as South Korea, criticizing its new president Yoon Suk-yeol for the first time and warning that Seoul was pushing toward the brink of war. The speech was made on the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
