SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired at least one projectile toward the sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, extending a recent run of weapons tests during heightened tensions between the rivals over border land mine blasts that injured three South Korean soldiers.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectile was launched toward the North’s eastern waters, but didn’t immediately release other details, including how far the weapon flew or whether it was a ballistic missile.
The launch came a day after the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ridiculed South Korean demands for the North to apologize over the land mine blasts that South Korea and the U.S.-led United Nations Command said were caused by North Korean mines planted south of the military demarcation line.
South Korea has also called on the North to halt recent efforts to fortify its border, including the installation of mines and anti-tank barriers. But Kim Yo Jong dismissed Seoul’s demands as “utterly pathetic,” saying the North intends to permanently cut ties with the South.
Saturday’s launch was the latest in a series of North Korean military displays in recent weeks, including tests of a purported hypersonic missile system, live-fire exercises and the commissioning of a new warship, as Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his growing nuclear program despite U.S. calls to revive diplomacy.
