Asia-Pacific News

North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile, South Korean military says

Key Points
  • North Korea has fired at least one unidentified projectile, the South Korean military said early Monday local time. 
  • Pyongyang has repeatedly fired projectiles over the past year and bragged about developing a new strategic weapon as relations with the Trump administration have soured. 
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

North Korea has fired at least one unidentified projectile, the South Korean military said early Monday local time. 

Pyongyang has repeatedly fired projectiles over the past year and bragged about developing a new strategic weapon as relations with the Trump administration have soured. 

North Korea and the U.S. failed to restart talks at the end of last year, after Washington refused to respond to Kim Jong-Un's demands for concessions. 

President Donald Trump has sought to convince the North to give up its nuclear arsenal, banking on a personal relationship he has tried to develop with Kim as well as pressure through sanctions. 

Trump has held two summits with Kim and met him at the de-militarized zone between the North and South. However, Washington and Pyongyang have proven unable to strike a deal, with the North refusing to give up its nuclear arsenal and the U.S. refusing to roll back sanctions. 

North Korea's decision to fire the projectile comes as the region is hit hard by the coronavirus, which first emerged in China. South Korea has been hit particularly hard, with more than 7,300 confirmed cases and 50 deaths.  

The U.S. and South Korea have called off joint military exercises due to the outbreak of the virus. The U.S. Army has restricted travel to South Korea and prohibited foreign troops from taking part in exercises, according to Reuters.