North Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles

North Korea fired two shortrange ballistic missiles into its eastern sea South Koreas military said on Tuesday adding to a recent streak in weapons testing that is apparently in protest of the US sending major naval assets to South Korea in a show of forceIn its third round of launches since last week North Korea fired the missiles just before midnight from an area near its capital Pyongyang South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said It said both missiles travelled around 400 kilometers 248 miles before landing in waters off the Korean Peninsulas eastern coastIts statement called North Koreas missile launches a grave provocation that threatens regional peace and stabilityThe launches came hours after South Koreas navy said a nuclearpropelled US submarine the USS Annapolis arrived at a port on Jeju Island That underscored the allies efforts to boost the visibility of US strategic assets in the region to intimidate the NorthLast week the USS Kentucky became the first US nucleararmed submarine to come to South Korea since the 1980s North Korea reacted to its arrival by testfiring ballistic and cruise missiles last week in apparent demonstrations that it could make nuclear strikes on South Korea and deployed US naval vesselsAlso on Monday the Americanled UN Command said it has started a conversation with North Korea about a US soldier who ran into the North last week across one of the worlds most heavily fortified bordersAndrew Harrison a British lieutenant general who is deputy commander at the UN Command which oversees implementation of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War declined to comment about the state of the inquiry to North Korea or say what the command knows about Pvt Travis Kings conditionI am in life an optimist and I remain optimistic Harrison said during a news conference in SeoulIn Washington State Deptartment spokesman Matthew Miller said North Korea had only acknowledged receiving the UN message last week and had not provided any information or commented further since then There have been no new contacts since last week Miller said adding that North Korea also had not responded to messages sent by US civilian or military officialsNorth Korea has remained publicly silent about King who crossed the border during a tour of Panmunjom while he was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss Texas following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault convictionThe US still has not been able to ascertain Kings condition a senior administration official said Monday in Washington Asked if US officials had a better understanding of whether King intended to defect the official said they still had no indication about what was going on in his mind that day The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymityAnalysts say North Korea may wait weeks or even months to provide meaningful information about King to maximize leverage and add urgency to US efforts to secure his release Some say North Korea may try to wrest concessions from Washington such as tying his release to the United States cutting back its military activities with South KoreaKings crossing came at a time of high tensions in the Korean Peninsula where the pace of both North Koreas weapons demonstrations and the United States combined military exercises have intensified in a titfortat cycleIn between the ballistic and cruise missile launches last week North Koreas defence minister also issued a veiled threat saying the Kentuckys docking in South Korea could be grounds for the North to use a nuclear weapon against it North Korea has used similar rhetoric before but the statement underscored how strained relations are nowThe United States and South Korea have expanded their combined military exercises and increased regional deployments of US aircraft and ships including bombers aircraft carriers and submarines to counter the nuclear threats posed by North Korea which has testfired around 100 missiles since the start of 2022The Annapolis whose main mission is destroying enemy ships and submarines is powered by a nuclear reactor but is armed with conventional weapons The sub mainly docked at Jeju to load supplies but Jang Do Young a spokesperson for South Koreas navy said the US and South Korean militaries were discussing whether to arrange training involving the vesselThe Koreas are still technically at war since a peace treaty was never signed Their armistice becomes 70 years old Thursday an anniversary South Korea will mark with solemn ceremonies honouring the dead that will involve invited foreign war veteransNorth Korea which celebrates the date as victory day for the great Fatherland Liberation War plans huge festivities that will likely include a military parade in the capital Pyongyang where leader Kim Jong Un may showcase his nuclearcapable missiles designed to target regional rivals and the United StatesNorth Koreas staterun Korean Central News Agency said Monday that a Chinese delegation led by Li Hongzhong vice chairman of the standing committee of the countrys National Peoples Congress would attend the celebrationsVisits by foreign guests to North Korea have been extremely rare since the start of the pandemic which prompted the North to seal its borders to protect its poor healthcare system North Korea since last year has been gradually reopening trade with China in an apparent effort to salvage a crippled economy damaged further by the pandemicrelated border controlsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever