Asia

North Korea Warns US and South Korea Will 'Pay Heavy Price' if Pyongyang's Warnings Are Ignored

Early on Tuesday, North Korea fired two missiles into the sea from its east coast, marking the fourth launch of its kind in recent weeks.
Sputnik

Commenting on the missiles tests, North Korea's foreign ministry spokesman said that if the United States and South Korea ignore Pyongyang‘s repeated warnings, "we will make them pay (a) heavy price", as quoted by the state news agency KCNA.

"The United States is inciting military tension hostile to the DPRK by deploying a large amount of latest offensive military hardware in South Korea in disregard of its commitment to suspend joint military exercises made at summit level," Ju Yong Chol, a North Korean diplomat in Geneva, said.

According to the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the recent tests appear to have involved two short-range ballistic missiles that were fired from near Kwail on North Korea's west coast, about 125 km southwest of Pyongyang, in South Hwanghae province early on Tuesday.

They were the fourth set of missile launches since July 25.

Pyonyang's first launch since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump agreed on resuming de-nuclearisation talks came on July 25. 

Since then, Pyongyang has warned the US that the planned military exercises with South Korea could thwart de-nuclearisation talks.

Following a test launch, US President Donald Trump said that he wasn't worried about the missiles, noting they were short-range and "very standard."

Peace talks between the US and North Korea have been stalled for months, but a glimmer of hope has emerged after representatives from both countries met at the intra-Korean border and showed a  favourable attitude toward new negotiations.

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