North Korea Launches Missiles Amid Stalled Nuclear Talks With US

North Korea launched two unidentified projectiles on Thursday, in what could be the latest sign that a nuclear disarmament deal with the US might be unattainable unless President Trump offers fresh concessions, reported Reuters. 

• 28-Nov-2019 03:07:57 AM – NORTH KOREA HAS LAUNCHED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MISSILE — JAPAN COAST GUARD
• 28-Nov-2019 03:24:02 AM – APPARENT MISSILE APPEARS NOT TO HAVE LANDED IN JAPAN’S EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE — JAPAN DEFENCE MINISTRY
• 28-Nov-2019 03:25:39 AM – JAPAN’S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS N.KOREA MISSLE LAUNCHES TO DATE ARE A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR JAPAN, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said both missiles were launched Thursday from North Korea’s east coast. 

Japan’s Defense Ministry said, “what appears to be a ballistic missile” fired by North Korea landed outside of its territorial waters.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the missiles didn’t enter Japan’s airspace or “exclusive economic zone” at sea.

The defense ministry didn’t have any further information on the missile launch. 

The incident follows a series of short-range missile tests by North Korea in late October, which landed near Japan.

The latest missile test comes as nuclear negotiations with the US have likely broken down. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has told President Trump that he has until the end of the year to offer new concessions, such as removing economic sanctions, to salvage nuclear talks. 

Trump has said those concessions will only come when North Korea completely abandons its nuclear weapons, a move that would be political suicide for Pyongyang. 

The missile test also comes hours after  Trump signed the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and Democracy into law. This move has infuriated China, as it appears the US is set to intervene in Hong Kong affairs. It should be noted that North Korea and China are highly interconnected politically and economically.