North Korea Unknown Projectile Shots Into The East Sea

North Korea's test-firing of a train-based missile. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile into the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, just days after Pyongyang held out the prospect of an inter-Korean summit.

28, no other details were immediately available, including whether the projectile was a ballistic missile banned under UN Security Council resolutions, how many were fired, where the launch occurred and how far it flew.

The launch came three days after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said North Korea could officially declare an end to the Korean War as suggested by the South, discussing a possible summit on condition that it abandons its double standards and hostility.

The launch came after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone on September 15, in the first test-firing of such a weapon in nearly six months.

According to Japanese analysis, the two missiles reached an altitude of about 50 kilometers and flew about 750 km before falling in the waters of the Noto Peninsula.

North Korea has long accused South Korea and the United States of double standards, claiming it makes no sense for them to denounce North Korea's missile launches and other weapons tests as outlawed 'provocations', when Seoul and Washington are free to carry out such tests. .

Tuesday's launch could be designed to test whether the South will still brand it a provocation.

North Korea is barred from all ballistic missile activity under United Nations Security Council resolutions, although Pyongyang claims they aim to bolster its self-defense against threats posed by South Korea and the United States.

If the projectile is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it would mark the third launch so far this year, and the sixth known primary weapons test if a cruise missile test fire is taken into account.

On September 15, North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles, believed to be Iskander versions, into the East Sea, which came just days after launching a new type of cruise missile.

Meanwhile, denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea have stalled. President Biden's government has said it is ready to hold talks with North Korea anywhere, anytime, but Pyongyang has remained unresponsive to the US offer.