North Korea tests two ballistic missiles amid stalled nuclear talks

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, days after testing a long-range cruise missile.

Pyongyang is developing its weapons program amid a standoff over talks aimed at halting its nuclear and missile programs in exchange for US sanctions relief.

Negotiations have been stalled since 2019.

The Japanese Coast Guard said the projectile could have been a ballistic missile launched from North Korea and landed outside its exclusive economic zone.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga condemned the launch as an "outrageous" act.

Both Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held sessions of their national security councils to discuss the launches, according to their offices.

The foreign ministers of South Korea and China held talks in Seoul today amid concerns about North Korea's latest missile test and the stalled denuclearization negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington.

If it is confirmed that this is a ballistic missile test, it will be the first test conducted by North Korea since March of this year and a new violation of United Nations sanctions.

This came after North Korea said it had successfully tested a new long-range cruise missile over the weekend, calling it a "strategic weapon of great importance."

Analysts say the missile could be the country's first nuclear-capable weapon of its kind.

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