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/ Updated
By Phil Helsel and Stella Kim
North Korea launched an “unidentified projectile” Thursday afternoon, a South Korean military official said.
It’s the second time in a week that North Korea has apparently conducted a launch.
The projectile was fired east “from Sinori area located in Northern Pyongan Province” about 4:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET), the South Korean military official said.
Last week, North Korea launched what were described as several short-range projectiles. A South Korean military official has said that the launch was thought to involve multiple rocket launchers, including “new tactical guidance weapons.”
North Korean state media KCNA said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed that launch. KCNA claimed the launch was a drill “to estimate and inspect the operating ability and the accuracy of striking duty performance of large-caliber long-range multiple rocket launchers and tactical guided weapons.”
Experts who analyzed photos from the North Korean state media say it’s clear the the county tested a new solid-fuel missile that appears to be modeled after Russia’s Iskander short-range ballistic missile system, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
A spokesman for North Korea’s foreign ministry was quoted by KCNA as saying on Wednesday that last week’s launch was self-defensive military drill, and the official criticized it being branded as provocative.
Many have viewed Saturday’s launch as a sign of Pyongyang’s growing frustration at stalled diplomatic talks with Washington over its nuclear arsenal.
President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un abruptly ended a summit earlier this year after they were unable to negotiate a denuclearization deal.
At that time, Trump indicated that the talks fell apart over Kim’s demand that all sanctions be lifted in exchange for concessions on Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The U.S. has indicated that the sanctions will stay in place until North Korea makes more significant moves.
There have since been no publicly known high-level contacts between the U.S. and North Korea, although both sides say they are still open to a third summit.