SEOUL, South Korea _ North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles Thursday afternoon, its second launch in less than a week, according to the South Korean military.
South Korean officials said the missiles were fired 20 minutes apart at 4:29 p.m. and 4:49 p.m. from a location northwest of Pyongyang toward the east. They traveled for about 260 miles and 170 miles, respectively, according to South Korea.
Thursday's launch comes five days after North Korea test-fired a barrage of projectiles off its east coast on Saturday, which experts said appeared to include a short-range ballistic missile based on photos released by North Korean state media.
The tests mark a rapid return to provocations from North Korea, which had refrained from missiles and nuclear tests since November 2017 amid thawing relations with South Korea and unprecedented talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program and international economic sanctions placed on the nation have been at a standstill after Trump and Kim's second summit ended without a deal in late February. North Korea has also pulled out of most exchanges with South Korea.
Trump tweeted after Saturday's launch that he believed Kim "does not want to break his promise to me" and that a deal with North Korea will happen.
"Anything in this very interesting world is possible, but I believe that Kim Jong Un fully realizes the great economic potential of North Korea, & will do nothing to interfere or end it," he tweeted.
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo emphasized in TV interviews over the weekend that Saturday's weapons tests did not appear to violate North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles.
"The moratorium was focused, very focused, on intercontinental missile systems, the ones that threaten the United States for sure," he said on Fox News Sunday.
Thursday's launches appeared to be further military escalation at a level that does not outright violate that moratorium. The move nonetheless runs afoul of United Nations Security Council bans on North Korea's ballistic missile tests.
The tests came just hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has played a central role in Trump's pivot to diplomacy with Kim, was due to give a live televised interview to mark his second anniversary in office.
Japan's Ministry of Defense said no missiles were detected in its territory, according to Japanese media reports.
