North Korea fired possible ballistic missile amid deadlocked nuclear talks

FILE PHOTO: A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva on October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Picture

SEOUL — North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday, days after testing a long-range cruise missile.

Japan’s Coast Guard also said an object that could be a ballistic missile was fired from North Korea.

Both the South Korean military and the Japanese Coast Guard gave no details.

The launch came after North Korea said it successfully tested a new long-range cruise missile last weekend, calling it “a strategic weapon of great significance.” Analysts say the missile could be the country’s first such weapon with a nuclear capability.

Pyongyang has been steadily developing its weapons program amid a standoff over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in return for U.S. sanctions relief. The negotiations have stalled since 2019.