North Korea News: Pyongyang Launches Missiles, Provoking Seoul Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

North Korea on Saturday launched two projectiles into the Sea of Japan, amid stalled nuclear negotiations and a global health pandemic. The projectiles were likely short-range ballistic missiles, flying a distance of 255 miles.

South Korea’s military slammed the launches, saying “such military action by North Korea is highly inappropriate at a time when COVID-19 is causing difficulties worldwide.” The Japanese Defense Ministry said the projectiles did not land on Japanese territory.

Both South Korea and Japan have been dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, with South Korea encountering thousands of cases, many of which are tied to a controversial religious organization. North Korea has not said whether it has had any coronavirus cases on its territory, but Pyongyang’s public health system is likely underprepared for an outbreak.

This is the third time that North Korea has launched missiles this month, with Pyongyang growing increasingly frustrated by the sanctions placed on its economy. The Trump administration has been in negotiations with North Korea over the past two years, with Washington wanting Pyongyang to pursue a path of denuclearization in exchange for reduced sanctions on the isolated Asian nation.

North Korean and U.S. diplomats last met in October for discussions, but meetings on the nuclear topic fell through on the first day. President Trump has also met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam in February 2019 and in Singapore in June 2018 to discuss the issue, but so far no concrete agreement has been achieved.

North Korea has said that it was “deceived” by the U.S. due to the lack of progress on the negotiations, with Pyongyang promising to unveil a new weapon this year. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has said that there is no chance North Korea would give up its nuclear arsenal.