Pyongyang fires 2 missiles after US-S. Korea drills

SEOUL • North Korea fired two cruise missiles from the west coast town of Onchon early yesterday, a South Korean military source said.

The source added that the South Korean and United States military authorities are analysing details of the missiles' flight, including the range. The launches come a day after Seoul and Washington kicked off four days of preliminary joint drills in preparation for the long-suspended live field training Ulchi Freedom Shield, which takes place from Aug 22 to Sept 1.

The two allies have scaled back combined military drills in recent years because of the coronavirus pandemic and to lower tensions with the North, which has alleged that the exercises are a rehearsal for invasion.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Tuesday that the US, South Korea and Japan participated in a ballistic missile defence exercise off Hawaii's coast last week - the first such drills since 2017 as relations between Seoul and Tokyo hit their lowest level in years.

While Pyongyang has not conducted a missile test for two months, it had been battling a Covid-19 outbreak for months before declaring victory over the virus last week.

North Korea, however, has been observed preparing for a possible nuclear test, which would be its first since 2017.

In a separate news release from the North last week, the sister of its leader Kim Jong Un blamed propaganda leaflets from South Korea found near the border for causing the coronavirus outbreak and vowed a "deadly retaliation" against the South.

Despite such warnings, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday reiterated his willingness to provide phased economic aid to North Korea if it ended nuclear weapons development and began denuclearisation. Mr Yoon was speaking during a news conference to mark his first 100 days in office.

REUTERS