SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥� North Korea on Thursday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its sixth round of weapons launches this month, South Korea鈥檚 military said.
Experts say North Korea鈥檚 unusually fast pace in testing activity underscores an intent to pressure the Biden administration over long-stalled negotiations aimed at exchanging a release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against the North and the North鈥檚 denuclearization steps.
The renewed pressure comes as the further shakes the North鈥檚 economy, which was already battered by crippling U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons program and decades of mismanagement by its own government.
South Korea鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons, which were likely short-range, were launched five minutes apart from the eastern coastal town of Hamhung and flew 190 kilometers (118 miles) on an apogee of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) before landing at sea.
Aviation authorities issued a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, for pilots operating in South Korean airspace, advising them of a 鈥渕issile launched from North Korea鈥� and that they maintain close communication with air traffic controls, according to the website of South Korea鈥檚 Office of Civil Aviation.
The U.S. Indo Pacific Command said the latest launches, while highlighting the destabilizing impact of North Korea鈥檚 weapons program, didn鈥檛 pose an 鈥渋mmediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed there were no reports of damage to vessel and aircraft around the Japanese coast. He called the North鈥檚 repeated missile firings as 鈥渆xtremely regrettable鈥� and violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Senior South Korean security and military officials gathered for an emergency National Security Council meeting where they expressed strong regret over the North鈥檚 continuing launches and urged Pyongyang to recommit to dialogue, Seoul鈥檚 presidential office said.
The North also last week issued a veiled threat to resume the testing of nuclear explosives and long-range missiles targeting the American homeland, which leader Kim Jong Un suspended in 2018 while initiating diplomacy with the United States.
Kim鈥檚 high-stakes summitry with then-President Donald Trump derailed in 2019 after the Americans rejected North Korea鈥檚 demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
Some experts say North Korea could dramatically escalate weapons demonstrations after the Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 4 in China, the North鈥檚 main ally and economic lifeline.
They say Pyongyang鈥檚 leadership likely feels it could use a dramatic provocation to move the needle with the Biden administration, which has been preoccupied with bigger adversaries including China and Russia.
The Biden administration has offered open-ended talks but showed no willingness to ease sanctions unless Kim takes real steps to abandon the nuclear weapons and missiles he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival.
The North has been ramping up its testing activity since last fall, demonstrating various missiles and delivery systems apparently designed to overwhelm missile defense systems in the region.
Experts say Kim is trying to apply more pressure on rivals Washington and Seoul to accept it as a nuclear power in hopes of winning relief from economic sanctions and convert the diplomacy with Washington into mutual arms-reduction negotiations.
Thursday鈥檚 launch came two days after South Korea鈥檚 military detected the North flight-testing two suspected cruise missile at an unspecified inland area.
North Korea opened 2022 with a pair of test-firings of a purported hypersonic missile, which Kim described as an asset that would remarkably bolster his nuclear 鈥渨ar deterrent.鈥�
The North also this month test-fired two different types of short-range ballistic missiles it has developed since 2019 that are designed to be maneuverable and fly at low altitudes, which experts say potentially improve their chances of evading and defeating missile defense systems.
In a ruling party meeting attended by Kim last week, the North accused the Biden administration of hostility and threats and said it will consider 鈥渁ll temporally-suspended activities鈥� it had paused during its diplomacy with the Trump administration, in an apparent threat to resume testing of nuclear explosives and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Pyongyang鈥檚 Foreign Ministry had earlier warned of 鈥渟tronger and certain reaction鈥� after the Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions following the North鈥檚 second hypersonic test on Jan. 11.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on five North Koreans over their roles in obtaining equipment and technology for the country鈥檚 missile programs, while the State Department ordered sanctions against another North Korean, a Russian man and a Russian company for their broader support of North Korea鈥檚 weapons activities.
However, Washington鈥檚 efforts to seek new U.N. Security Council sanctions against the five North Koreans sanctioned by the Treasury Department were blocked last week by China and Russia, which have called for the U.N. to end key sanctions against the North, citing its economic difficulties.
鈥淒espite efforts to strengthen sanctions, Washington鈥檚 responses to North Korean launches this month are nowhere near its reaction to Pyongyang鈥檚 provocations in 2017,鈥� when the North staged an unusually provocative run in nuclear and ICBM tests, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
鈥淯.S. policy has become more measured and coordinated but is still inadequate for changing North Korean behavior. The Biden administration has other priorities, ranging from pandemic recovery at home to confronting Russia over Ukraine, Iran regarding its nuclear program, and China across the board,鈥� he said.
Despite international concerns over its weapons activity, North Korea will still get to chair a U.N. disarmament forum during a one-month presidency between May 30 to June 24, according to a U.N. statement.
The U.N. Conference on Disarmament, which has 65 member states and focuses on nuclear disarmament issues, says the conference鈥檚 presidency rotates among member states.
U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based activist group, called for the U.S. and European ambassadors to walk out of the conference during North Korea鈥檚 presidency, saying that the country threatens to attack other U.N. member states with missiles and commits atrocities against its own people.
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AP writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Kim Tong-hyung, The Associated Press
