North Korea fires projectile towards sea amid US-South Korea military drills

"The projectile was fired toward the sea off North Korea's east coast, the South Korean military said in a brief message to reporters. It gave no further details. Japan's coast guard said the projectile appeared to have fallen into the sea. It appeared to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported, citing defence ministry sources."

"Seoul and Washington, five days earlier, launched the major drills, which they say are purely defensive, aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea. Nuclear-armed North Korea frequently displays its anger and objections to such exercises, saying they are dress rehearsals for armed aggression against it by the allies."

"On Thursday, South Korea's prime minister met Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with the North, which has been suspended since 2019. Kim Min-seok said Saturday that Donald Trump thought a meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, would be good."

North Korea launched a projectile toward the sea off its east coast, with Japan suggesting it may have been a ballistic missile. The projectile fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. This occurred during major US-South Korean military drills designed to test readiness against North Korean threats. North Korea views such exercises as preparation for invasion. Meanwhile, South Korea's prime minister met with Donald Trump in Washington to discuss reopening dialogue with North Korea, suspended since 2019. Trump expressed interest in meeting Kim Jong-un, potentially during his April visit to Beijing. The US has pursued nuclear disarmament efforts for decades with limited success through summits, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure.

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