N.Korea fires new missiles as protest

By Global Times - AFP Source:AFP-Global Times Published: 2019/8/16 22:28:40

Slams S.Korean call for dialogue


North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range 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 Seoul.

It was the sixth round of launches in recent weeks in protest at ongoing joint military drills between Seoul and the US. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has described the tests as a "solemn warning" to the South.

Pyongyang has repeatedly expressed anger at the war games, which it considers rehearsals for invasion.

The South Korean military said the projectiles were fired from near the city of Tongchon, and flew some 230 kilometers. 

They were "presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles," an official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, on Friday urged relevant parties to cherish the hard-won situation, do more to help promote dialogue and ease tensions, ensure the implementation of the political consensus of the leaders as soon as possible, and make positive efforts to promote denuclearization of the Peninsula and the lasting peace there and in the region.

The latest test came as the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country said it rejected comments by Moon on Thursday outlining his desire for unification, and said it had nothing more to discuss with the South.

It called Moon - who has long favored dialogue with the North - an "impudent guy rare to be found," for hoping for a resumption of inter-Korean talks while continuing military drills with Washington.

In a speech on the 74th anniversary of the Liberation Day on Thursday to mark the liberation of the peninsula from the 1910-45 Japanese colonization, Moon outlined a goal of "achieving peace and unification by 2045."

"His speech deserves the comments 'foolish commemorative speech'," the North said in its statement.

"We have nothing to talk any more with the south Korean authorities nor have any idea to sit with them again," it added.

North Korea said last week it would carry out more weapons tests following the start of the latest joint drills between Seoul and Washington, which began on August 5.

Seoul has described most of the previous launches as short-range ballistic missiles, while Pyongyang has said some were a "large-calibre multiple-launch guided rocket system."



Posted in: ASIA-PACIFIC

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