North Korea launched a short-range missile into the sea on September 28th, according to its neighbors, in the latest of North Korea’s weapons tests, raising doubts about the sincerity of its recent offer for negotiations with South Korea.

The South Korean administration voiced regret over what it called the North’s “short-range missile launch” in an emergency National Security Council meeting. The object shot from North Korea’s mountainous northern Jagang province flew toward the waters of the North’s eastern coast, according to the South Korean military.

The launch, according to the US Indo-Pacific Command, poses no imminent threat to US personnel or territory, as well as our partners. The missile launch, however, said, “highlights the destabilizing impact of [North Korea’s] illicit weapons program,” and that the US commitment to South Korea and Japan’s defense “remains unshakable.”

Authorities in South Korea and the United States were looking into the details of the launch. North Korea, on the other hand, fired “what could be a ballistic missile,” according to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who stated his country increased its vigilance and surveillance.

A ballistic missile launch would violate a United Nations Security Council embargo on North Korean ballistic activity, but the council seldom imposes new penalties on the country for short-range missile launches.

North Korea conducted its first ballistic and cruise missile tests six months earlier this month, demonstrating its potential to attack targets in South Korea and Japan, two critical US allies where 80,000 American soldiers are stationed.

However, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reached out to Seoul on September 24 and 25, stating her country was willing to resume negotiations and take measures toward reconciliation if certain criteria were satisfied. According to some experts, North Korea wants South Korea to help it get respite from US-led sanctions.

South Korea has praised her statement as “important,” but has urged North Korea to reopen lines of contact before any discussions between the two countries can take place.

Continue Reading on The India Saga