South Korean military says North Korea “fired an unidentified projectile”

The South Korean military said Monday that North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile,” in what could be the fourth weapons test this month for the nuclear-armed country.

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The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, shortly before the Japanese Coast Guard confirmed, that “North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea,” also known as the Sea of ​​Japan.

“It appears that North Korea has launched a possible ballistic missile,” a Japan Coast Guard spokesman told AFP, without giving further details of its route.

On Friday, North Korea launched two tactical guided missiles from a train. It conducted two tests on January 5 and 11 and declared them to be hypersonic missiles.

In response to this series of tests, the United States last week announced new sanctions, which Pyongyang called a “provocation”.

A foreign ministry spokesman told the Korean Central News Agency that North Korea has a “legitimate right” to self-defense.

Despite international sanctions, Pyongyang redoubled its efforts to modernize its military, while refusing to respond to calls for negotiation by the United States.

At a meeting of North Korea’s ruling party last month, leader Kim Jong Un vowed to continue developing military capabilities.

Dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains at a standstill and North Korea has imposed a self-imposed blockade to prevent any contamination of the coronavirus, hitting its already abysmal economy even harder.