Officials in the United States on Tuesday stated that North Korea fired two missiles off its west coast over the weekend in its first publicly known weapons test since Joe Biden took office as president in January.
Two senior officials from the Biden administration told reporters in a briefing call that the North Korean activity involved weapons systems that were not covered by UN Security Council testing bans.
Two other US officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told news correspondents that North Korea had fired two short-range missiles but declined to elaborate.
Read Also: How Hushpuppi Helped North Korean Hackers Steal $1.3B
During a visit to Ohio, Biden told reporters, referring to the North Korean government: ‘We have learned that nothing much has changed.’
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that North Korea had fired two cruise missiles off its west coast on Sunday, adding that it had been tracking the test.
‘What they fired were cruise missiles, not ballistic missiles, and they were detected by our assets,’ a source in the defense ministry told correspondents.
The tests are the first since July last year when Pyongyang fired what were also thought to be cruise missiles, and took place as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a visit to northeast Asia promising to work towards the North’s denuclearisation.
Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump boasted of his ability to work with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the two men met three times in 2018 and 2019. Trump’s summitry failed to achieve a breakthrough, however, as talks collapsed over US calls for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and North Korea’s demands for an end to sanctions.
Officials in the US, which is reviewing North Korean policy and South Korea appeared to downplay the latest tests, which have not yet been acknowledged by the North.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
