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N. Korea fires two projectiles into sea - Seoul

TOKYO, Aug 24 (KUNA) -- North Korea fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Saturday, South Korea's military said, according to Yonhap News Agency, monitored here.
The projectiles were fired at 6:45 a.m. (21:45 GMT Friday) and 7:02 a.m. (22:02 GMT Friday), from the eastern town of Sondok in South Hamgyong Province and both flew around 380 km at a maximum altitude of 97 km and a top speed of around Mach 6.5, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said in a release.
South Korean and the US intelligence authorities are analyzing the projectiles' exact type, it explained.
Saturday's firings marked the seventh round of such launches since July 25 when the North broke a 17-month hiatus and started firing missiles and projectiles to test new weapons and protest the South-US joint military exercise that it has long denounced as a rehearsal for invasion.
The exercise concluded earlier this week, raising hope for a halt in the North's missile launches and a resumption of denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
The last missile firing came about a week ago on August 16.
Saturday's launches came as North Korea has intensified verbal attacks on the US ahead of the possible resumption of the stalled talks on its nuclear weapons program.
On Friday, the North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho lashed out at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for stating that the "toughest" sanctions will remain until North Korea denuclearizes, threatening that Pyongyang will try to remain "America's biggest threat" if the US continues to confront the North with sanctions, and it is ready for both dialogue and a standoff.
The negotiations on the North's nuclear weapons program have been stalled since the no-deal Hanoi summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February.
During their surprise meeting in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom at the end of June, Trump and Kim agreed to resume nuclear talks, and the US has suggested working-level dialogue. (end) mk.rk