North Korea fired a pair of short-range projectiles off its east coast on Thursday, the first test launch in nearly a month, South Korea’s military announced.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the North fired the projectiles from Yeonpo, in the country’s eastern South Hamgyong Province, Yonhap News reported.
The projectiles flew about 236 miles before falling into the sea off the country’s east coast, with South Korea’s military saying they were fired in a 30-second interval. The military did not say what kind of projectiles were launched.
“South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing additional features,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to Yonhap. “Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture.”
North Korea has carried out more than a dozen weapons tests this year, and the latest launch comes a month before a deadline the North gave the U.S. for resuming nuclear talks.
The previous launch, carried out Oct. 31, also consisted of two missiles that flew a similar distance before falling into the Sea of Japan. The North said that launch was a test of a new “super-large” multiple rocket launcher, which was also reportedly used in the launch Thursday.
Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang broke down earlier in October, with the North calling them “sickening.”
The Trump administration has sought to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, though it has rejected North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s demands for major sanctions relief as part of a plan to partially disarm the country.