South Korea says North Korea fired 2nd suspected missile in less than a week

File footage of a North Korean missile launch airs on South Korean TV. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile early Tuesday, Japanese and South Korean officials said.

The object landed in the waters off North Korea’s east coast, near Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese media reports. This is believed to be the country’s second weapons test in less than a week. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the tests are “extremely regrettable,” while the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff released a statement saying it is “closely monitoring” the situation “in close cooperation with the United States.”

Nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea are at a standstill, and on Monday, several members of the United Nations Security Council, including the U.S. and Japan, released a joint statement saying last week’s missile launch was a “clear violation” of several resolutions and shows North Korea’s “determination to expand its unlawful weapons capabilities.”

Last week, Pyongyang said it successfully tested a “hypersonic gliding warhead” that hit a target 435 miles away, a claim that South Korean military officials called an exaggeration.

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