North Korea fires a ballistic missile into the sea as South Korea and US step up deterrence plans

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile in the sea in a possible display of defiance against the steps by Washington and Seoul to tighten nuclear deterrence against North Korean threats. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired Sunday night from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and landed in the sea. The launch followed high-level security talks between American and South Korean officials in Washington over the weekend, where they agreed on plans to update their nuclear deterrence and contingency strategies to cope with the North’s evolving threats.