North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles in Latest Show of Force

North Korea launched multiple close-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by North Korea this year. 

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from Jongju city on the North's west coast. It said South Korea's military has bolstered surveillance posture and is closely exchanging related information with the U.S. and Japan.

It was North Korea's first weapons launch event since April 19, when the



country fired multiple short-range missiles in what state-media described as a demonstration of cluster bomb warheads. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals since his nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. 

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to resume talks with Kim, but Pyongyang has so far ignored the overtures and urged Washington to drop demands for the North?s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.