NKorea fires ballistic missile, say SKorea, Japan

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said, following missile launches in the past two weeks.

The launch comes after US President Donald Trump renewed his invitation to negotiate with Pyongyang.

The South Korean military said the unidentified missile was launched from an area in North Korea’s northwestern region, near the border with China, and fired toward the sea to the east.

The Japanese government also said North Korea fired what may have been a ballistic missile and that it likely fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said there were no confirmed reports of damage.

Trump, who visited South Korea last week, reiterated his willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, raising expectations that the two could reach a deal at the last minute.

No talks took place, but Trump said he was willing to return to the region to meet with Kim.

Trump met Kim at the Panmunjom truce village on the inter-Korean military border in 2019, when he visited the region during the US president’s first term.

Kim did not respond to Trump’s latest overtures but has previously said he had “pleasant memories” of meeting the US president and had no reason to avoid talks if Washington stopped insisting his country give up its nuclear weapons.

On Thursday, the North’s foreign ministry said the Trump administration had “behaved badly” by imposing sanctions on its officials and institutions over money laundering allegations.

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles and sea-to-surface cruise missiles, including what it said were hypersonic missiles, last month before Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited South Korea during a regional summit.