North Korea fired two short-range projectiles eastward on Friday, South Korea’s military said, shortly after Pyongyang warned of a “stronger” reaction over new sanctions imposed by the United States.
The first missile was launched at around 2:41 p.m. on Friday, followed by the second missile at 2:52 p.m., the JCS stated.
North Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement hours before the missile launch criticizing the U.S. for imposing new sanctions on the country and warning of a “stronger” response if Washington maintains its “confrontational” stance.
“Increasing the national defense capability is a legitimate right of a sovereign state,” the ministry said, adding that the sanctions imposed by the United States were evidence of “provocation” and “gangster logic.”
North Korea went on to criticize President Joe Biden’s administration for pursuing a policy that “isolates and suffocates” Pyongyang while calling for diplomacy and dialogue to advance denuclearization.
Talks led by the United States seeking to get North Korea to advance denuclearization—including to surrender its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenal—have been stalled since February 2019; Kim and then-President Donald Trump were unable to come to an agreement over disputes about international sanctions on Pyongyang.
The Biden administration has said it is open to a dialogue with North Korea at any time without preconditions, but the authoritarian state accused the United States of having “hostile policies” such as military drills and sanctions that it must withdraw against Pyongyang before any talks can resume.