Seoul: N. Korea fires projectile in 4th launch this month

Jan 16, 2022 | 4:36 PM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired at least one projectile into the sea on Monday, South Korea’s military said, in a fourth weapons launch this month as it demonstrates its military might amid pandemic border closures and paused diplomacy with the United States.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately say whether the weapon was ballistic or how far it flew.

The launch came after the North conducted a pair of flight tests of a purported hypersonic missile on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11 and also test-fired ballistic missiles from a train Friday in an apparent reprisal over fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration last week for its continuing test launches.

North Korea has been ramping up tests in recent months of new missiles designed to overwhelm missile defenses in the region.