North Korea launches two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea

North Korea launched two short‑range ballistic missiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Sunday, the South Korean military said, marking the latest in a series of weapons tests by the isolated regime. The missiles, identified as solid‑fuel projectiles with a range of roughly 600 kilometres, were fired from the Kangwon province area and landed in international waters without causing any reported damage or casualties.

The launches come just days after Pyongyang reiterated its claim to be a nuclear‑armed state and dismissed a United Nations Security Council resolution urging the country to halt its nuclear and missile programmes. The moves have heightened diplomatic tensions, prompting renewed calls from the United States, Japan and South Korea for stricter enforcement of sanctions and for Pyongyang to return to multilateral negotiations aimed at denuclearisation.