North Korea fired another suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, just hours before a groundbreaking ceremony in the South for a rail line hoped to one day connect the two countries. (January 5).
The ceremony was attended South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, acknowledging the launch here:
“North Korea test-fired an unidentified projectile this morning, and there are concerns that this could create tension and further deepen the stagnation in inter-Korean relations. But we should not give up the hope for dialogue in order to fundamentally overcome this situation.”
Reconnecting the North and South Korea by train was a central issue in past negotiations in 2018, but eventually failed.
Meanwhile, North Korea has tested a variety of new, short-range ballistic missiles.
The most recent one was launched from a submarine in October. The U.S. government has said the North is trying to design weapons that can evade ballistic missile defense systems in the region.
Leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster the military in his New Year speech to counter an unstable international situation amid stalled talks with South Korea and the United States.
Earlier this week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price reiterated the U.S. desire for dialog with North Korea, saying Washington had no hostile intent and was prepared to meet without preconditions.
