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North Korea fires more short-range missiles off eastern coast

In this image, the back of Trump's head and silhouette is visible as he faces Kim Jong Un, who smiles at the camera. They are walking towards each other.
Trump stands at the DMZ line of demarcation to meet Kim Jong-un on June 30. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea fired 2 short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast early on Wednesday, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Why it matters: The projectiles did not pose a threat to the United States or its allies, a U.S. official told CNN, but North Korea nonetheless has appeared to have conducted its second missile test in a week. President Trump has repeatedly downplayed North Korea's missile tests since meeting Kim Jong-un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) last month.

The big picture: The latest launches were from the Wonsan area on the Hodo Peninsula on North Korea’s east coast — the same place as last week's missile tests, per Reuters. Pyongyang's state media described those tests as a "solemn warning" for Seoul, though Trump later argued that Kim "didn’t say a warning to the United States," per Politico.

  • Trump claimed stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington would resume after the DMZ meeting and trumpeted progress between the two countries.
  • North Korea is angry over planned U.S.-South Korean military drills and may be trying to press the United States for negotiation concessions, AP notes.

Go deeper: Ignoring North Korean missile tests could hamper nuclear talks

This article has been updated with more details on the missile launches.

North Korea