North Korea fires ballistic missile off coast of Japan

itv.com -- Oct 19

North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea of the coast of Japan on Tuesday, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said.

It comes as South Korea, Japan and US intelligence chiefs reportedly met in Seoul to discuss North Korea. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said there were two ballistic missiles, calling the launches "very regrettable". It came hours after the US reaffirmed its offer to resume diplomacy on the North’s nuclear weapons programme. South Korea’s presidential office was planning to hold a national security council meeting to discuss the launch. A strong South Korean response could anger North Korea, which has been accusing Seoul of hypocrisy for criticising the North’s weapons tests while expanding its own conventional military capabilities. Ending a months-long lull, North Korea has been ramping up its weapons tests since last month while making conditional peace offers to Seoul, reviving a pattern of pressuring South Korea to try to attain what it wants from the United States. President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, is schedule to hold talks with US allies in Seoul within days over the prospects of reviving talks with North Korea.

Oct 19 (FNNプライムオンライン) - 韓国軍は19日午前10時17分ごろ、北朝鮮が日本海に向けて弾道ミサイルを発射したと発表した。