Published 07:15 IST, May 4th 2019
North Korea fires an unidentified short-range missile
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff says North Korea has fired an unidentified short-range missile from its eastern coast.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff says North Korea has fired an unidentified short-range missile from its eastern coast.
The firing Saturday comes amid a diplomatic breakdown that has followed the failed summit earlier this year between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over the North's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal that can target the U.S. mainland.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff says the North's missile was fired from Wonsan on the east coast.
It says South Korean and U.S. authorities are analyzing the details of the launch.
Mr Kim recently met Russian President Vladimir Putin in a first-ever summit between the two leaders, aimed at resolving a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Mr Putin said the two leaders had "exchanged views on how and what needs to be done so that we can improve the situation", while Mr Kim called the discussions "fruitful" and a "meaningful exchange".
A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) or less. They are usually capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In potential regional conflicts, these missiles would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low cost and ease of configuration.
In modern terminology, SRBMs are part of the wider grouping of theatre ballistic missiles, which includes any ballistic missile with a range of less than 3,500 km.
Updated 07:15 IST, May 4th 2019