North Korea fires ballistic missile again but intends to continue dialogue with the South

A man watches a television report showing a news broadcast with archival footage of a North Korean missile test, at a Seoul train station on October 19, 2021. AFP - ANTHONY WALLACE

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

A few weeks after its last test, North Korea resumed its missile fire by sending this Tuesday, October 19 a short-range ballistic missile in the Sea of ​​Japan.

This eighth missile test since January is a further direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The arms race of recent months continues on the peninsula, while at the same time, the United States and its South Korean allies say they are trying to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

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With our correspondent in Seoul,

Nicolas Rocca

The improvement of our weaponry is not an obstacle to dialogue.

In short, this is the message Pyongyang is trying to convey with this new ballistic missile test.

Sent this Tuesday morning from the vicinity of Sinpo, a port city, it would be - according to the South Korean army - a short-range strategic sea-to-ground missile launched from a submarine;

which would constitute a novelty because North Korea had so far managed to launch this type of missile only from a platform.

No coincidence?

This fifth test since September comes on the day Seoul opens its largest arms and aeronautics show.

An exhibition that does not seem to please Pyongyang, where the state media this morning invited the South for the umpteenth time to end its hostile policy.

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 See also: 

Japan: against Beijing and Pyongyang, the ruling party calls for an increase in military spending

At the same time, South Korean, American and Japanese intelligence leaders were meeting in the South Korean capital to discuss possible negotiations with North Korea.

The United States recently claimed to have made specific offers to the North Korean authorities to resume dialogue.

With this new ballistic missile shipment, Pyongyang continues to standardize its testing while pushing Washington to improve its proposal before eventually sitting down at the negotiating table.

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 To read also: 

North Korea: Kim Jong-un accuses Washington of being at the root of the tensions on the peninsula

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  • North Korea

  • South Korea

  • Defense

  • United States