N. Korea launches two short-range ballistic missiles in second test

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's military said North Korea conducted its second weapons test in less than a week Wednesday, firing two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast in a move observers said could be aimed at boosting pressure on the United States as the rivals struggle to set up fresh nuclear talks.

South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement the missiles were launched from Wonsan, a city the North pushes as a vacation destination but that it also uses as a regular launch site.

It said both missiles were believed to have flown about 155 miles at a maximum altitude of 19 miles, and the South Korean and U.S. militaries were trying to gather more details.

The test -- which would be yet another North Korean violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions -- comes as the country's negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear weapons program are at a stalemate and as Pyongyang has expressed anger over planned U.S.-South Korean military drills.

The Security Council is expected to discuss the latest launches behind closed doors Thursday at the request of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, council diplomats said.

On July 25, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Seoul officials said flew 370 miles and as high as 30 miles before landing in the sea.

North Korea's state media said those tests were supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and were designed to deliver a "solemn warning" to South Korea over its purchase of high-tech U.S.-made fighter jets and the planned military drills, which Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal.

Even though North Korea is banned by the U.N. from using ballistic technology in any weapons launches, it's unlikely the nation, already under 11 rounds of U.N. sanctions, will be hit with more punitive measures. Past sanctions were imposed only when the North conducted long-range ballistic launches.

Observers say a low altitude flight by the missiles indicate North Korea may have been testing their ability to avoid being intercepted.

Earlier last week, Kim visited a newly built submarine and expressed his satisfaction with its weapons system. North Korea said its deployment was "near at hand."

In a private briefing to lawmakers Wednesday, South Korean military intelligence officers said they've determined the submarine likely has three launch tubes for missiles, according to Lee Hye-hoon, head of parliament's intelligence committee. If confirmed, it would be North Korea's first operational submarine with missile launch tubes, some experts said.

North Korea acquiring the ability to launch missiles from submarines would be an alarming development because such missiles are harder to detect in advance.

Wednesday's launches came hours after a senior U.S. official said President Donald Trump sent Kim mementos from his brief visit to an inter-Korean border town late last month.

The official said a top staffer from the National Security Council hand-delivered photographs from the leaders' June meeting at the Korean Demilitarized Zone to a North Korean official last week. The Trump administration official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

The DMZ meeting was the third summit between Trump and Kim. At their second meeting in Vietnam in February, Trump rejected Kim's demand for widespread sanctions relief in return for dismantling the North's main nuclear complex, a partial disarmament step.

During the DMZ meeting, Trump and Kim agreed to resume nuclear diplomacy in coming weeks, but there hasn't been any known meeting between the countries.

Despite a recent lack of progress in nuclear diplomacy, both Trump and Kim have said they have maintained good relations with each other. After last week's missile launches, Trump tried to downplay the significance of the tests, saying "short-range" was the most important detail. He said North Korea fired "standard" missiles many countries possess.

After entering talks with Washington, North Korea has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests, which Trump has said is proof his North Korea policy is working well and has eased the danger of a war with the North.