North Korea has fired at least one unidentified 'missile' into waters off its east coast Tuesday following its continued streak of weapons tests.
The launch was reported by South Korean and Japanese military officials, despite the sanction over the country's use of nuclear weapons.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that they do not know the type of missile that was launched or how far it flew.
The launch also came hours after a report that their ally China had secretly tested a 'nuclear-capable hypersonic missile' back in August.
The North Korean launch took place at around 10.17am in Sinpo, an area which has been used to keep military equipment for test-firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
'Our military is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States, to prepare for possible additional launches,' the Joint Chiefs of Staffs said in a statement.
North Korea has reportedly fired at least one unidentified 'missile' into its eastern waters on Tuesday during a weapons test. The Academy of Defence Science of the DPRK previously had a test fire of a 'newly developed' anti-aircraft missile on September 30, pictured
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at an exhibition of weapons systems in Pyongyang on October 11
President Biden's offers to discuss nuclear weapon tactics has been rejected due to his 'hostile policy' of sanctioning the North's military exercises
South Korea’s presidential office was planning to hold a national security council meeting later in the day to discuss the launch.
Ending a months long lull in September, North Korea has been ramping up its weapons tests while making conditional peace offers to Seoul, reviving a pattern of pressuring South Korea to try to get what it wants from the United States.
Within days, President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, is schedule to hold talks with U.S. allies in Seoul over the prospects of reviving talks with North Korea.
Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than two years over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea and the North’s denuclearization steps.
His government has so far rejected the Biden administration’s offers to restart dialogue without preconditions, saying that Washington must first abandon its 'hostile policy,' a term the North mainly uses to refer to sanctions and U.S.-South Korea military exercises.
U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim speaks to reporters outside of the State Department in Washington DC on October 18
South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk speaks after meeting with US Special Representative Sung Kim
But while North Korea is apparently trying to use South Korea’s desire for inter-Korean engagement to extract concessions from Washington, analysts say Seoul has little wiggle room as the Biden administration is intent on keeping sanctions in place until the North makes concrete steps toward denuclearization.
'The US continues to reach out to Pyongyang to restart dialogue,' Sung Kim told reporters on Monday, referring to the North’s
